Loose knee implant

@SusanEllen66

That may be the case, but might be more than the quad impacting what is going on. But nothing wrong with trying to strengthen all the muscles that support knee joint. Including hamstrings and glutes, we often forget about the posterior chain a.k.a. backside in favor of like the front muscles, but it all works in tandem. And even core strengthening exercises, they can support your skeletal system and take the load off your lower body when your trunk is strong. Everything else is supported..... I know I am biased because I'm a Pilates instructor. 😉

@aliciavillarosa thank you!

@lmc I was taken by your "BEG him to order an MRI." During my eight year experience with knee pain following a TKR and a revision I have had every exam from x-rays to bone scans but never an MRI. I've requested an MRI of many different Orthos during this period and always denied with some vaque reasoning. I don't know why there's a reluctance to obtain any additional information that may explain our pain.

@JustinMcClanahan it was 2020. According to the surgeon it is a weak muscle.

@ouch89 I didn’t an have an MRI, X-ray only.

MRI are expensive. Maybe your insurance company might not pay.

@SusanEllen66
I believe it's not the doctor's role to consider whether or not the insurance will pay and focus on the medical issue. Also, if the doctor thinks my insurance may not pay he should communicate that with me. Whatever my out-of-pocket costs may be it's a pittance compared to the thousands of dollars already spent to obtain relief.

@ouch89
I had an MRI, it was almost unreadable due to the negative effect the metal (titanium) in the implant had on the magnetic resonance imaging.

@ouch89 Doctors also know which imaging to use to diagnose specific issues. An MRI is not generally useful around a metal implant, if an x-ray does not provide sufficient information, the doctor can order a CT scan. BUT, it is becoming evident that overuse of scans is dangerous because of excessive radiation exposure (at least 4 to 20 times more than an x-ray) is being shown to be a cancer risk.

I have a lung disease that is typically monitored via CT scan every year or two. But since my disease now appears to be stable my 2 pulmonologists have decided there will be no more CT's unless my health gets worse - a little scary, but...

I'm requesting an MRI because my previous doctor diagnosed that I have a loose implant based on a Bone Scan. Having had so many bogus diagnosis I went to another doctor seeking an MRI. My new doctor agreed that an MRI is generally better than a bone scan for diagnosing a loose knee implant, and elaborated with medical reasons why an MRI and SPECT/CT being the top choices for accuracy in loosening. I'm leaning towards my new doctor because he's unwilling to do another revision without 100% certainty I have a loose implant. An MRI is generally safe with modern metal knee implants, as they are made from non-magnetic materials like titanium alloys. Wishing you well in your lung recovery.