Knee Pain!
Posted by wordstogetherrandom@reddit | GenX | View on Reddit | 33 comments
Ended up in Emergency care yesterday due to knee pain. Could not go down the stairs in my own home. Got a temporary fix and a work excuse and the diagnosis that I should be looking at knee replacement soon. I can't be old enough for this.
ggbookworm@reddit
I did mine during lockdown. Had it done, went home same day, and started PT 4 days later. No regrets at all 6 years out.
Mitsch25@reddit
Male 53 here, I am almost 10 months out from my knee replacement and couldn't be happier. I pushed to get it done for more than 10 years, but the pain was unbearable at the end and influenced many activities I loved doing. I had a pretty good recovery but it still makes some clunky noise which might never go away. On the other hand, I am able to hike and do my workouts without any pain. Good luck with whatever your journey might be
LayerNo3634@reddit
Everyone I know that had knee replacement only have one regret: putting it off. Some parts wear out early - I had cataract surgery at 40 (17 years ago!). We begged mom for years to get her knee replacement. Now she doesn't know why she waited. SIL has been living in pain for years because she scared. She's too young to have mobility issues, but that's what she's living with because she keeps putting off the surgery.
ted_anderson@reddit
As cliche as this may sound, get a second opinion.
My orthopedic surgeon who makes a good living off of knee replacements wanted me to get it looked at by a couple of other doctors before he would consider doing surgery. Because by his estimation everything on the MRI looked fairly normal. And one thing that he didn't want to do was a knee replacement only to later find out the problem wasn't that. My situation was very unusual and so one of the other doctors suggest orthotic arch inserts for my shoes.
It's been more than 2 years without pain unless I lean the wrong way. But even at that, the pain goes away after a couple of hours.
wordstogetherrandom@reddit (OP)
I have not seen the ortho yet. Must follow up with my primary first and I don't trust any of these orthos
Gretzi11a@reddit
I’ve seen one and am terrified. But the way I see it is that even if I were avoid the surgery, my bone density will only get worse and the healing will grow harder. I’ve been going to pt in a warm water therapy pool for months, that’s made an awesome improvement as to my ability to work the knee and build up muscle to help make the surgery easier to recover from. I can move so much more effectively in a warm water therapy pool than on land.
Shockwave treatments helped the swelling that came after an accident. Trouble was, without cartilage, that swelling was the only lubrication my poor knee had.
Injections also helped me to tolerate the pt I insisted on doing before the surgery. Wishes of Good luck, from another premature geezer.
grateful_john@reddit
I never had an MRI before my knee replacement - an x-ray can show the lack of cartilage. My orthopedist told me he never tells his patients to get a replacement, they tell him when the pain gets too bad.
Mine did not go as well as I’d like, I still have constant pain and very little flexibility in my knee. Which makes me not want to get the other one done even though it needs it.
Round-Public435@reddit
I feel your pain. Hope you can get the replacement done soon and get on the road to recovery.
Mine is my hips & back. Both hips need to be replaced and my lower back looks like a bomb went off (according to the neurosurgeon who read the films). Holding off on the back until I absolutely have to have it done, if ever. But the hips are next on the hit parade, sometime this year.
Gretzi11a@reddit
If it’s any consolation, my batshit sister said she was in less pain after hip replacement, even though they somehow broke her femur during one of the procedures.
daphatty@reddit
While this isn't a solution, it will help.
Get yourself a pair of Hokas or OnClouds. I began to experience inexplicable knee pain in my mid-40s and suffered for years until a colleague introduced me to Hokas. Not only did my knee pain disappear, I could walk for hours with little ill effects on my feet!
Fickle-Milk-450@reddit
Hokas are the bomb!
wordstogetherrandom@reddit (OP)
I wear Hokas
Firm_Baseball_37@reddit
Brooks sneakers have done wonders for my knees and feet. Just to recommend another brand.
DNC1the808@reddit
Get a bicycle. Strengthen all the muscles around it. It will keep you from getting your leg chopped in half.
Firm_Baseball_37@reddit
I had a torn meniscus and needed knee repair a few years ago. All things considered, replacement sounds like it might be preferable. Everyone I know who's had knee replacement was walking on it in a day. After my surgery, I had to stay off that leg for 6 weeks.
Sucks getting old. It's just better than the alternative.
bigredroyaloak@reddit
Start with sports medicine. PT & injections might help. I’m trying to get to 60 before I get a TKA.
daphatty@reddit
If it were me, I'd get the replacement sooner to avoid a longer recovery period due to old age.
bigredroyaloak@reddit
60 isn’t old if you’re healthy in most ways.
wordstogetherrandom@reddit (OP)
I am on my feet for hours walking and standing, more walking than standing at work. Have seen quite a few knee replacements that have gone bad over the years.
Sea_Ganache620@reddit
Had some bad pain in my knee for months. Finally went to a doctor. Had a slightly torn iliotibial band. Didn’t know I had an iliotibial band. Doctor gave me one injection, said I was going to hate him for a few days, and he was correct. After that, pain was gone, and I’ve been good for a few years.
Duke-of-Glenmont@reddit
I didn’t know your labia was in your knee. Crazy. Oh, sorry, I read that wrong.
Impressive-Shame-525@reddit
So that's where the clitorus is. Lol
Sea_Ganache620@reddit
No map…
ted_anderson@reddit
Explains why the erogenous zones are in some of the strangest places with women.
Wide_Breadfruit_2217@reddit
You're lucky. I want replacement and they won't yet. There's some cool fancy canes on ebay. I've got my eye on a dragon head one!
wordstogetherrandom@reddit (OP)
I've seen them go well and I've seen them go horribly wrong.
ForswornForSwearing@reddit
Where I work, I see a lot of different people go through on long term rotations, so I've seen a lot of people go through hip and knee replacements during the time they're here. Probably twenty people, thirty joints by now. I haven't done it myself, but from seeing and talking to them, I've drawn a conclusion.
If you can work your butt off and do the exercises they prescribe, you'll do fine. If you can't or won't, you're not going to have a good time. And there seems to be very little middle ground.
wordstogetherrandom@reddit (OP)
I work medicare/rehab in long term care.
ForswornForSwearing@reddit
Then you've surely seen more extreme cases than I. But for patients in the meaty part of the curve, does your experience match mine, that for a great many, the prescribed exercises make a huge difference pro or con?
wordstogetherrandom@reddit (OP)
Most people have good outcomes/little complications. 95% at least. Most of the complications come from infection either from surgery or aftercare. Went thru a bad period of infected ortho surgeries. That Dr. has retired.
vfa151cv64@reddit
I had to go through PT, two knee surgeries, meniscus repair and a cartilage graft, 8 cortisone injections, and finally 6 hyaluronic or rooster shots over 5 years before BCBS approved my knee replacement at 50 YOA. I tried to old off as long as possible but it was necessary. Good luck!
Practical_Wind_1917@reddit
I worked in a retirement community for a few years
I will tell you what the old folks told me.
If they are suggesting, you need the replacement. get it done sooner than later. The younger you are, the quicker and easier it is to recover from the surgery. It is a lot harder as you get older.
Yes, they are things they can do to mitigate the pain and make it go longer without needing to replace it. But eventually you will have too.
I know in the future i will need to replace mine, I will get getting it replaced and not trying to make it last longer without getting replaced.
pocketdare@reddit
I'm sure some will disagree with me, but I've definitely heard stories of people who regretted getting knee replacement so definitely do a bit of homework first!