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How does your knee feel once it reaches the year of recovery?
Joint Replacements | Last Active: Nov 29, 2025 | Replies (93)Comment receiving replies
@elizab
Been there, done that! I didn't see any difference at HSS. Of the many factors that come into play for a successful knee replacement, location is not at the top of the list. The specfic Ortho who does your knee could be affiliated with any of the wide array of healthcare facilities nationwide, from large hospitals to smaller surgical centers. Many of the best surgeons are among the almost 200,000 a year unsuccessful TKR surgeries. The probability of a successful TKR is in your favor knowing that almost 800,000 a year are successful.
Replies to "@elizab Been there, done that! I didn't see any difference at HSS. Of the many factors..."
It is interesting to me that a satisfactory outcome is determined by patient response. I have noticed here that the worse the pain before surgery, the happier the patient is after surgery. So it doesn't surprise me that a significant proportion of persons report unsuccessful surgeries. Some of that 20% are likely from crappy surgeons (yes, alas, there are some); some from good to great surgeons who had a patient with bad luck and the rest are likely persons who had less pain before surgery so the "delta" is much less after surgery.
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@ouch89
I partly agree. Places like the Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, HSS, etc. will have an overall very high standard of excellence. But the very best person for any particular procedure is often not at one of these centers of excellence.
It is easy to find HSS, Mayo, etc. It is much harder to identify the individual surgeon who performs at the highest level of performance. Earlier in this thread I identified my criteria for a successful outcome. But there are no publicly available materials to separate the superstars who meet my criteria and the surgeons who don't. Once one finds a surgeon, then it is possible to test out the criteria.