So...how are those knees doing...?

[SlimeyLimey]

Got really bad knees…? Do something about it!

Two years ago I decided to have both knees replaced, and I couldn’t be happier about the results. Doing both at the same time was a very hard pull and I’m not necessarily suggesting that path, but for me it was the best option. My message is “there is life after joint replacement…and it can be very good!”

My problems date back to major football injuries in the early ‘70’s. Through the years (and between bouts of knee injuries) I continued to ski, play basketball and participate in many other activities I know contributed to the aches and pains. For years, the more I did…the more I could continue to do. That eventually came to a grinding halt…and I mean grinding halt! ACL’s were gone and cartilage was also non-existent (both in between and on the ends of the bones), so pain was constant and limited physical activity had become the norm. I’d gone in for a review with a doctor a few years earlier and he confirmed that at some point I’d have to have both knees replaced, but he suggested I wait until I was at least 60 before having it done (less chance you’ll need to do it a second time, since life is a bit more sedate from then on …or you’ll be dead and gone before they wear out…).

The breaking point for me came on a spring break hike some five years later with friends and family along the coast just above Brookings. Given my instability, and the need to side step down even the slightest drop in the trail, it took barely 30 seconds for the rest of the crew to be off laughing and giggling into the woods and I was by myself, stumbling along. This was an EASY trail and it really ticked me off! It was time to do something.

I went for a second look with another doctor. He confirmed the same…both knees had to go…but he said, “Now is the time, before you miss your window of opportunity.” I had to ask what he meant by “window”, to which he explained that there needs to be viable, healthy bone available to attach the replacement parts to, and in my situation bone loss was already visible even in basic x-rays. If I had waited until I was 60, there would be little chance that I would have had enough bone left to conclude a successful replacement. I said, “lets go!”

This is a very painful surgery, and from the deepest well of my heart I thank my wife and family for their love and help that got me through it. I studied the surgery details, the rehabilitation descriptions, and possible outcomes for this procedure. It was still bigger than I estimated and there were days I truly wondered what I had done. I had one knee that was particularly difficult during physical therapy and after two months I could only manage 60 degrees of motion. I ended up going back in for a “manipulation” where they put you under again, and then force the knee through its range of motion, breaking up the scar tissue that develops quickly after surgery. The next day I had to fight through re-awakened pain, but I could bend it 90 degrees, and I was immediately working hard every day to improve that!

Overall, it has been a great success. I did fall early in my PT days and broke my wrist (the doc told me NOT to fall…!) and I still have a slightly torn muscle in my shoulder from using my upper body intensively during the early weeks after knee surgery. Still, my knees are truly amazing to me. No arthritic pain… I can swing a golf club and WALK the course instead of driving… no problems walking down stairs or trails or RIVER BANKS… and I can actually WADE IN THE WATERS with a degree of confidence I had assumed was gone forever. I now workout several days a week trying to get this old body into some sort of shape besides round!

The reality is that I’ll probably have to replace them again at some point in the future. The doc said I could expect 15-20 years from these, depending upon how well I take care of myself and if I can manage to stay away from high risk, pounding activities that lessen the life span of the components (running/jogging, skiing, basketball, etc.). By that time I expect the technological improvements will have made this surgery even better, and besides, that really doesn’t matter to me now. My life is vastly enhanced and every day of the week I’ll take the next 15 to 20 years with this improved quality and less pain, even knowing that I’ll face the beast again someday.

This post is aimed at iFishers and others that may be thinking about joint replacement surgery. For sure, there are no guarantees that such a replacement will be successful, and you will have to weigh those factors specific to your situation. If you can get by without it, that’s great. If your life is suffering because of weak, aching, arthritic, barely-functional joints, then chat again with your doctor about replacement. The surgery options these days are very good, and improving your quality of life is a wonderful thing to do for yourself. Good luck and tight lines!

S