Does low bone density cause issues for a TKR?

Hi @hvannort, Those are certainly 2 important questions to discuss with your doctor or surgeon prior to having a TKR. Here is some research on the questions that might be helpful to discuss with your doctor or surgeon.

--- The association between bone mineral density and postoperative drainage volume following cruciate-substituting primary total knee arthroplasty: a cross-sectional study: https://kneesurgrelatres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s43019-021-00107-1

--- A Review on Bone Mineral Density Loss in Total Knee Replacements Leading to Increased Fracture Risk:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5698368/.

I have osteopenia and degenerative arthritis in my joints and did have a knee replacement done a few years ago that was successful but I still worry a little about falling and breaking something due to my age and bone strength.

Have you discussed your questions with your doctor?

Thank you for this information. I am at the beginning of this process and will discuss in detail with my doctor.

I have low bone density but all of my bone density tests have been good. I’m a cancer survivor and I had radiation and took Tamoxifen for 10 years. They are thinking that’s the cause, but my surgeon called them “soft” bones. Once he did the surgery, he discovered the soft tibia, and he had to put an anchor which caused him to drill deeper through the bone. Now going to an endocrinologist to see if they can find out how to treat me. I’m almost 70, so my healing is not as fast as I expected. Hope this helps. Good luck!

Thanks for sharing your experience.