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Should I have knee replacement with neuropathy?
I have idiopathic neuropathy, in my feet and legs, stiff, tingling, burning cramping at night, the usual, and I have painful arthritic knees. Hyluronic acid did not work, considering prp therapy. Has anyone been successful in knee replacement as a diagnosed neuropathy patient? If not suggested, what would one do?
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Hi, I have had both knees replaced because of pain and loss of mobility. I also had and have mild neuropathy. The operation in my case helped: I have no pain now and my mobility has increased. I did have weakness in my leg muscles and mild balance issues. I have been working on the leg weakness with perhaps some modest success. I do not think I will ever regain my past muscle strength. I walk almost daily, trying for 7-10,000 steps. I do exercises including Chi-gong and specific manoeuvres shown by my physiotherapist. However, my balances issues ever so slightly are worsening. Good luck in your decision making. It remains important to be as active as you can.
I want to add something to my prior post. One of the two places I went to for knee replacement was Rothman Orthopedic Institue. They are rather large located in PA, NJ, NY. They would not do knee replacement due to my numbness in both feet and their fear of me falling. After seeing my orthopedic surgeon, he went into detail as to why and I understand their position. A major part of their decision and his was due to my compromised balance. Meanwhile, I try to walk about 4 - 5 days a week because I'm of the opinion that keeping active despite bad knees is vital.
I am a 67 year old recently retired farmer. I have had moderate neuropathy in my feet for several years, especially at night when I often am unable to sleep. That said, I have had both knees replaced in the past few years. I got a bad infection (twice) in my right knee which required four separate surgeries and six weeks of strong daily antibiotics at the hospital (twice). These antibiotics increased my neuropathy pain significantly. I have been careful in my knee recovery, making use of a walker as needed. Note that the pain in my knees was much worse than in my feet, due to too many years of abuse. My knees are now mostly fine, while my neuropathy pain is now back to pre-surgery levels. Bottom line is, yes you can get knee replacements, but there can be a downside if you get an infection. Just be careful in your recovery.