Opinions please

JeannieB

Hi this is my 1st post, I have left knee OA on waiting list for new one, right knee starting with OA. Right hip OA and degenerative disc disease with spinal stenosis also OA in back.

Oddly I can walk up to two miles as this helps back , left knee copes but hurts for a couple of days after, I try to manage without pills, you may think she has`nt got it bad but I do, its just paracetamol does not help, codeine makes me feel ill, allergic to tramadol, can take ibruprofen or naproxen they do not work plus I i have high blood pressure so really not advised to take them. So according to gp its down to the cyclic antidepressants like amtripytelene or gabapentin again they dont work and keep me awake.

Regarding knee op I am seriously thinking of cancelling it as so much can go wrong and be worse off than before the op. A physio told me as we have stairs I would more than likely have to have a bed downstairs with a comode after the op. I think this is very drastic and do not want that set up, unfair to hubby. Im only 67 !! But hospitals do not release you until they can see you can do stairs. Anyone else come across this???

chrisb

Hi @JeannieB,

Welcome to the versus arthritis forum.

You've come to the right place to ask for input as there will be many members who have been through this procedure.

In the interim, this article on our website may provide some useful information:

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/treatments/surgery/knee-replacement-surgery/

I hope you receive some useful feedback that ease your concern.

Best wishes

ChrisB (Moderator)

JeannieB

Thanks, I have that booklet from my physio

Amethyst_

Hi JeannieB.

Re the knee op, the physios/occupational therapy team in the hospital after the op should show you how to use stairs at home safely with crutches, so you shouldn't have to set up a bed and commode downstairs. I certainly didn't have to sleep downstairs after mine. But, I think that's right - they won't release you from hospital until they know that you will be safe at home.

Bryony

Are you down for having a total knee replacement or partial knee replacement? Up to 45% of people with knee OA are suitable for partial knee replacements as very often only one part of the knee is badly affected by OA, usually the medial compartment. NICE guidance is that those who are suitable for partial knee replacement should be offered it, but in parts of the UK there are few surgeons who are trained in them, so often people are not offered it.

Partial knee replacements have a higher satisfaction rate than total - 10% have some residual pain after PKR, compared with 20% for TKR, and the knee feels more normal as more of your knee and supporting ligaments etc are retained. .

As you are understandably worried about things going wrong with knee replacements, this might be something you could check out, and see if you might be suitable. The notes about your X-rays and where consultant notes will probably detail where your OA is concentrated, to give you an initial idea.

To find out which surgeons are trained in partial knee replacements in your area this is available on the National Joint Registry, available online, how many they have performed and which hospitals they work at.

I do think that there is too much negativity about knee replacement surgery from some doctors. It is more complex than hip replacement, and the success rate not as high, but it is still a surgery with a high success rate. Whilst it is important to not rush to surgery too soon, if the knee is not that bad - and a few people will want that rather than trying out physiotherapy, want an easy fix early on - most people are very cautious and often wait too long. I say this as my mother was fed a lot of negative stuff about knee replacement surgery, and she was a glass half-empty person, so was so convinced it would make her worse, her condition deteriorated to such an extent that she no longer wanted to live.

Moira

Hi,

I had a rt complete knee replacement a number of years ago and our bedroom and shower were upstairs. The physios at the hospital were brilliant in showing me what to do and different techniques.

My surgeon was also fab. The other specialists I have seen have also been good. If you are unhappy with yours ask for a second opinion. You are entitled to that by law.

You must start the post-op exercises straight away. The girl in the next bed didn't and they put her on a machine and told her if she didn't do her exercises she would have a perminant limp. So physio is crucial, straight away. It's not that bad, just needs determination.

Soon you will have good movement. You won't need a comode etc unless you have other medical/movement problems. I never did and we had 14 stairs!

The physios also checked you could use the stairs before being sent home. If you couldn't you had to wait until you could. I didn't have crutches but strong sticks. Doing the physio is absolutely crucial to ensure proper movement and getting up and down stairs.

No probs now with that knee.

Don't give up and listen to the specialist doctors - not others. There's a lot of false and frightening info that just isn't accurate.

Good luck.

Moira