No cartilage left in knees

Posted by chesh @chesh, Jun 22 8:45am

I have been told by my orthopedic surgeon that I have no cartilage left in my knees. Walking is beginning to be more difficult but not terrible. Stepping up and down even a curb is awkward. Stairs are a one step up or down with one leg and then bringing the other beside it and slow going.
I am having hyaluronic acid injections six months apart that help some. I am now wearing the right kind of shoe. I had been wearing a rubber soled platform sandal that I figured (because of all the rubber) cushioned my knees). Recently I developed tendon pain in both legs which I was told was due to shortening of the tendons behind and inside of my legs below my knees. I think the platform shoes might have been responsible for this because ,with running shoes now ,I feel the tendons stretching.
I do NOT want knee replacements!
What do others of you do in my situation that helps?
P.S. I know that losing weight would help. My weight has been a challenge all my life.. I am 5 foot seven and weigh 185. I am 73 years old.
I do swim laps regularly with no problem. I haven't tested whether I can still walk around a block.

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h2marcia | @h2marcia | Jul 3 4:14am

In reply to @rashida "@h2marcia and @heyjoe415 - as far as I am aware, MRIs cannot be done on anyone..." + (show)

I had no idea and no Dr told me this. Thank you.

rashida | @rashida | Jul 3 4:31am

In reply to @h2marcia "I had no idea and no Dr told me this. Thank you." + (show)

@h2marcia and @heyjoe415 -
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diagnostics/4876-magnetic-resonance-imaging-mri

h2marcia | @h2marcia | Jul 3 4:35am

In reply to @absoluteroyalty1 "There are knee surgeons who do revision total knee replacement surgery. In this procedure, doctor either..." + (show)

Revision surgery is a last resort. It often doesn’t turn out well.

heyjoe415 | @heyjoe415 | Jul 3 7:16am

In reply to @rashida "@h2marcia and @heyjoe415 - as far as I am aware, MRIs cannot be done on anyone..." + (show)

Hi Rashida,

I don't think this is true for all types of metal. Both of my knees were replaced in 2022, so there is plenty of metal in my legs. And I had both big toes fused and there are screws and metal plates in my feet. I'm pretty sure this is all titanium.

I had an MRI done two weeks ago for my lumbar spine. I was asked about all of my implants, but they didn't prevent me from getting the MRI.

Joe

rashida | @rashida | Jul 3 7:21am

In reply to @heyjoe415 "Hi Rashida, I don't think this is true for all types of metal. Both of my..." + (show)

@heyjoe415 that’s good to know! Are you sure all your joint replacements are metal? Apparently they use non-metal parts these days, too …

absoluteroyalty1 | @absoluteroyalty1 | Jul 3 7:28am

Thank you for the info. I was thinking that a second opinion could be obtained this way. Different viewpoint- find a doctor who thinks out of the box. My instincts are telling me to keep searching. I have been misdiagnosed a few times.

absoluteroyalty1 | @absoluteroyalty1 | Jul 4 2:21pm

In reply to @heyjoe415 "Hi Marcia, I'm shocked that your surgeon would green light tennis after a TKR. My surgeon..." + (show)

My surgeon told me the same thing - no running, jogging, tennis, soccer, etc. Nothing that would result in impacting the knee. My sport is dancing (repetitive movement, stable knee). I agree with you that it doesn’t hurt to get a second opinion from a surgeon who specializes in revision total knee replacement.

heyjoe415 | @heyjoe415 | Jul 4 2:30pm

In reply to @absoluteroyalty1 "My surgeon told me the same thing - no running, jogging, tennis, soccer, etc. Nothing that..." + (show)

Yeah find a guy who specializes in revisions. And these need not be revisions to a TKR. It can be a revision to a partial KR, or in my case, a piece of titanium that was placed where my left medial meniscus used to be. I would think that if someone participated in impact sports after a TKR, the part most likely to be damaged would be the prosthesis that replaced the meniscus. This is made out of a very hard plastic, and so much easier to damage than titanium prostheses.

I don't know what qualifies a surgeon as a specialist in revision surgery, but they can be found.

Finally, if you're researching new surgeons, I suggest a Dr. who has a degree from a well-known medical school or college, as well as a residency at a place like Mayo or Cleveland Clinic.

All the best to you! Joe

absoluteroyalty1 | @absoluteroyalty1 | Jul 4 3:00pm

In reply to @rashida "@h2marcia and @heyjoe415 - as far as I am aware, MRIs cannot be done on anyone..." + (show)

You can get an mri on metal implants: hip & total knee replacements, dental implants. I had a total knee replacement and had an mri for knee safely. If you have a pacemaker, aneurysm clips, implants for hearing, brain, eyes or other metal, discuss with your doctor prior to getting an mri.