Good afternoon @trayus, At 27 you are very young to be considering knee surgery. You say that an injury wore away the cartilage. Would you please explain a bit more about the injury. How old were you? What tests were run? You say it was too late......too late to do what? I am struggling to wrap my arms around what you are trying to convey.

What kind of surgery are you considering......a (Total Knee Replacement TKR)? We have lots of feedback from members about that surgery. Why are you concerned about "courage"? You may want to ask your clinician how long you can wait and still get the best outcome from the recommended surgery.

And you know, the success of a TKR is a lot about good preparation and patient rehabilitation. Here is a discussion that was introduced a few weeks ago. Maybe you will find it helpful.
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/what-can-you-do-to-extend-the-life-of-your-tkr-and-mobility/
Be safe and protected from inner and outer harm.
Chris

@trayus I understand your frustration. At 44 an sports injury blew out my knew and I had ACL/MCL replacement and reconstruction. At 50, after 10 years of pain and struggle, according to the ortho I had "the hips of an 85 year-old" and they were so severely locked I could not walk up stairs or lift a leg high enough to get onto a women's bike. We decided it was time to replace, and now at 69 I am on my second set of replacement hips. I will tell you that I was severely chastised by my doc and ortho for continuing to run and jump on already damaged joints (I was a lifelong runner and volleyball player), and told to find "kinder" methods of exercise. All that said, I am now active and have minimal hip pain - mostly bursitis, as well as arthritis in many parts of my body. I can walk, bike, dance and keep up with toddler grandsons.
My advice for you is seek a second opinion from an ortho that specializes in young, active patients. Then, if you decide to replace, commit yourself to one year of preparation and rehab every day - about an hour a day. That is what is needed for optimal recovery. Finally, treat the new knee kindly so it will last.
Sue

@trayus I was scheduled for a knee replacement in 2013 but it had to be delayed due to a low platelet count. I was actually on the gurney with IV in my hand when the doctor came in and gave me the bad news.
I lost weight and exercised a lot to improve the supporting muscles around my knee. Those things helped so much that when I could finally have a knee replacement in the spring of 2017 I delayed it until the fall. I even considered not doing it but I knew it would eventually get worse again so I went ahead. It worked out well for me, I am very happy with that knee. I had a Conformis knee which is custom made for each patient. When the time comes that you need to proceed I would strongly recommend that you consider that knee and find a doctor who uses that one.
I understand having to work up the courage, especially considering your young age. Most people never get as much flex again as they had, generally the best you can hope for is about 135 and that is rare. Doctors are happy if you can get to 120 which is just about where I am at. I blame myself for it not being better, I probably should have exercised it more after the surgery. If you can lose weight and exercise to get to a good point as I did, I would put it off if I was you since you are so young. These knees all have a life expectancy so if you have one now you will eventually need to have a second one.
JK

postpone surgery as long as possible. The doctors don't tell you that Arthritis attacks scar tissue around the replaced joint and you will still suffer from the pain.