At first you noticed the pain and stiffness in your knees after you were sitting for a while. Now it hurts when you climb stairs, stand up and especially when you get up in the morning.
And kneeling is out of the question!
If that sounds like you, you’re not alone. That’s why every year, over 640,000 people in the U.S. have total knee replacement surgery done.
And with that many bum knees being operated on, you would think knowing who will benefit from the procedure and who won’t would be a slam-dunk at this point.
But what a new study has confirmed is that not all those arthritic knees may need to be replaced after all.
Along with the risk of unnecessary surgery, it’s also been found that up to a third of knee-replacement patients are still suffering from chronic pain. And that’s not even counting those whose implants “fail” and who need to have the operation done again.
So, before your doctor talks you into getting a new knee — or two — there are some very important things you need to know first.
With the average knee replacement running close to $50,000 and the huge numbers of them being done every year, it’s easy to see why doctors and hospitals are so in love with the procedure.
And yes, the surgery can take some patients from total disability to being able to function again.
But then again, many who could successfully use alternative approaches to help the pain and swelling of knee arthritis often aren’t told about those other options.
Dr. Bart Ferket, from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital, looked at the data on close to 4,500 patients from ages 45 to 79 who had total knee replacement surgery. What he found is that those who had “milder” pain before their operation didn’t benefit very much from having the procedure done.
Now, that may sound logical — the more pain you’re in, the more you’ll notice an improvement after surgery. But as previous research has uncovered, having your knees swapped out for a newer model when not absolutely necessary exposes you to risks that can outweigh minor benefits.
That study, done three years ago by the Department of Physical Therapy at Virginia Commonwealth University, graded knee surgeries done on 175 seniors during a five-year period. Those researchers found that over a third of the operations could be classified as “inappropriate,” meaning the surgical risk was greater than the improvement.
Of course, if you ask a surgeon, he’ll tell you how well it works, how simple it is, and how fast your recovery will be.
But along with the very real risks that any surgical procedure involves, there are also three big risks of getting these bionic knees you probably won’t be told.
#1: If your replacement knee happens to be a brand-new implant on the market, don’t be surprised if it ends up being recalled as defective! New “parts” such as hips and knees don’t have to be tested for safety or even to see if they actually work. Experts advise that you do some research about what device your doctor will be using, and when it came on the market. In the world of spare body parts, newer isn’t always better.
#2: Research by U.S. News and World Report found that even when you’re undergoing a common surgical procedure such as a knee replacement, having it done at a small hospital where it’s not routinely performed can often increase your risk of dying by as much as 24 times the national average.
That’s why doing some research into your hospital and doctor can be so important. And what you find out may mean you need to travel a bit to get the procedure done instead of settling for a local hospital.
#3: Researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine found that total knee replacement surgery is one of seven common procedures that can put you on the fast track to an opioid addiction.
But while surgery won’t “cure” all bad knees, there are some proven therapies that can work wonders.
The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (a federal agency, no less), reports that the age-old practices of acupuncture and Tai chi can actually stop the pain of knee arthritis.
Acupuncture is now available practically everywhere, and Tai chi, an ancient Chinese form of gentle exercise, is also gaining in popularity all over the country.
But even if your knee pain puts you at the front of the line for surgery, giving acupuncture or Tai chi a try definitely won’t hurt.
These are also excellent therapies to use if you do have knee surgery done, that along with a program of physical therapy can keep you off the meds and pain free!
“Knee surgery does not improve life quality for many patients” Pam Harrison, March 29, 2017, Medscape, medscape.com
