Knee Replacement

[jmi85]

Hi, this is my first post on here and I am just looking for some opinions really.

Ever since i was a kid, age 8-9 i have had problems with my right knee. It started off with slight pains which led to problems walking and running. I visited my doctor who referred me to the hospital and they put it down to over activity (playing too much football) and growing pains. I was referred to a physio for a couple of weeks and discharged.

Over the next few years upto being 14-15 the pains and problems went from bad to worse to completely unbearable to the point where i could not walk properly. I went back to the hospital and was sent for an MRI where it was found that I had an Osteochondral defect on the inside of my right knee.

A few months before turning 16 i had an operation to pin back a section of bone that had basically died due to the lack of blood flow as it split away from my knee. Since then I have had 9 knee operations, all on my right knee. These range from Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation(ACL) to further pins being put in, to my latest operation in 2013 which was Microfracture Surgery.

This last attempt to restore normal function and pain relief to my knee seemed to have worked, the x-rays showed no problems and also subsequent MRI scans showed everything to be fine.

Now in 2015, a few months from my 30th birthday and i am back at the hospital having just had another MRI scan. The pain and discomfort in my knee is tantamount to torture, every day it just seems to go from bad to worse. I have basically had to give up everything i love doing that involves any sort of physical exertion for fear of being in so much pain for days/weeks after.

I have spent the best part of my life at the doctors, at the hospital, being operated on, having physiotherapy. It is getting to the point now where it is starting to ruin my life.

Anyway, that is my little story and after all that, my question is...

At the age of almost 30, am I too young to be asking for either partial or total knee replacement?

Any advice or suggestions would be welcome.

Thanks for reading

[Hidden]

Its worth asking the question , if they say no then at least you are no worse off than you are now. But, if you put your case strongly, stating the things that its preventing you from doing (such as any exercise that would otherwise keep you healthy and help keep your weight where it should be, let's face it they go on enough about people becoming overweight due to lack of exercise) they may decide its in your best interests to say yes. Its worth a try. Good luck, hope you get somewhere with this problem. J_M_P x

[Woodyblue in reply to Hidden]

I have been having left knee pain for some years, apparently it's osteoarthritis with cartlige tears, because my right knee is taking the strain that one has started to hurt as well, so I hobble around with a walking stick, GP prescribed cocodamol and paracetamol which really give me awful pain in my stomach, consultant has said I'm too young really for a knee replacement, I'm 60 .. physio can't do any more, I do my exercises, but really where is my quality of life now. I have been told to keep going back to the GP and Consultant because then they realise I'm in pain and serious about doing something about it, also told replacement joints only last 15/20 years that's why they like to do them when the person is older also revision surgery is a lot more risky.

Who knows what is round the corner, stem cell treatment, better materials for joint replacement.

I think possibly you need to have a real good talk to your consultant

and weigh up the pros and cons, but being in pain constantly is a horrible thing to cope with. I wish you well.

[Aishaakbar51]

I can't have a hip replacement I'm to young so I think u might get the same answer even tho my mobility has gone almost completely I dnt think they get it I'm young I want a life bk but keep trying u might b a lucky 1

[jmi85]

Hi, thanks for the replies, its good to hear other peoples opinions. Aisha, if you dont mind me asking, how old are you?