Does anyone have a hinged knee replacement?

@skybig Thank you for your feedback; I truly appreciate it. I find it wonderful when people, like you, take their time to help.
I am going back to see my surgeon. I realize I don’t even know the brand of the hinged knee I got nor has the surgeon explained the why of what is going on. I do have quite a bit of swelling and fluid three years after the revision. Last year I had surgery in order to repair a muscle that partially tore after my knee buckled, as I was turning around. It’s been a nightmare. I need to find a competent surgeon in Miami that is unassociated with the Baptist Hospital group. My surgeries have been in their Orthopedic Sports Clinic which is regarded as the best in Florida. My surgeon is a revision specialist so I’m at a loss as to where to go or whom to see.

I am sorry to say I have not had a happy experience with a hinged knee replacement. My knee buckles and collapses and has caused me to fall many times. My leg also splays out when walking. It has negatively impacted my quality of life. I still have swelling and fluid buildup almost three years after surgery. I don’t like being a “Debbie Downer” and maybe my situation is not common but look into the different brands and try to get feedback from every option available. I wish I had done this. Best of luck to you.

@musulunga

The Hospital for Special Surgery has a branch in West Palm Beach. That is where Dr. Martin Roche performed a partial knee replacement for Lindsey Vonn. HSS is also the leading orthopedic hospital in the country.

If you want to stay int he Miami area, this is where I would go.

@musulunga I feel your pain, I really do. You should obtain copies of your surgical notes that were written for ALL of your knee surgeries. Meaning for the first and all revision surgeries. These notes will tell you what type of knee replacement was used, the size, etc.. They should contain a lot of interesting info and I'm sure you'll find them to be an interesting read. Your new surgeon will need these notes anyway, so it's best to get them before hand. I couldn't get an appointment from my second opinion surgeon until after I sent them the surgical notes. I was able to get all of mine (my original, my revision and from the 3 dislocations) from the hospital's patient portal without having to ask anyone, you night be able to do the same. Good luck!

That sounds like good advice. I'll try to get all my surgical notes just as you suggest. My surgeon either doesn't know what's going on or he's being deliberately obtuse. Since I can lift the affected leg, when sitting, three quarters of the way, when compared with the other leg, he says it would be malpractice to do anything more. In other words, he obviously thinks I've had a positive outcome; in spite of the fact that the knee buckles and collapses which has caused me to fall.
Thank you for sharing your experience and for your advice on how to best go about obtaining an appointment for a second opinion.

@steveinarizona Thank you! I didn't realize HSS has a branch in West Palm Beach. I'm in Miami so that's just a couple of hours away. I'm going to solicit my surgical records from Baptist and then attempt to get an appointment with Dr. Roche.

@skybig

Everyone should get a copy of the post surgery report. Every surgeon must prepare one and it should be available to the patient. It will either be given to the patient or available on a patient portal. If not, ask for it. Just call the doctor's office.

Even if everything went perfectly, it is still an interesting document.