PRP Injection Experiences

[Bob-WY]

TKR will outlast you. The lifespan is old school and based on the cement used, not the knee itself.

If you truly are bone on bone, a replacement is in your future. I have one, it SUCKS to go through, you will know when it's time because it will be preventing you from doing things you enjoy

You said partial bone on bone, that should be a red flag to ask questions. Look at the xray, is there ANY gap between the bones that you can see? It's pretty clear when it's bone on bone.

 

[LuketheDog]

No experience with this but a thought based on the experience of a friend:

Knee replacements last around 15 years. That's the average of the average person. If you use your knee more than the average person, it likely won't last as long. A gentleman on our VFD just got his 3rd knee replacement. He cuts wood and hunts sheds for a living, and so his "new" knees were only lasting ten or so years. He's in his 70s and still an absolute savage.

Just that, if as I think is the case with you, you plan to put a lot more miles on your knees than the average person, at 41 a knee replacement is likely not gonna be a permanent fix. Hope you find a way forward that works well for you.

This^

I'm in a similar position as you @rtraverdavis. My right knee has iffy cartilage at best, I've blown it out, had repaired, tweaked it again 5 years ago. I'm 42 and I know a replacement is in my future but I don't want to do it twice so I'm waiting as long as possible.

 

[TOGIE]

I'm 42 and I know a replacement is in my future but I don't want to do it twice so I'm waiting as long as possible.

this is something i wonder about though. do most modern knee replacement surgeries only last 15 years at best? i wonder if that's still true. and even if they do i feel like there is a solid case to be made if your knees are trashed in your early 40's.

making assumptions. let's assume that a modern knee replacement for a rather active individual will only last 15 years, and let's assume you largely can't do the things you wanna do for a full year for after surgery.

do your first one at 42 years old, and you need another at 57 years old. all said and done, 2 years down and out for recovery, maybe less, for 28 years of basically a perfect knee. so you're 72 and had 28 years of good knee with replacements at 42 and 57. or push it out 10 or so years being in pain and not being able to do what you wanna do as good as you can, get a replacement at 52 and maybe need another at 67 cause you can still hike and hunt at 67, but your knee is going out again. so now you're 67 and only had 15 years of good knee, and age is starting catch up with you in other ways anyway.

that's just a random example i keep thinking of. i see more years of good knee and better recreating in the younger first replacement option than the older option. better healing with younger surgeries too.

i dunno. just my current random line of thinking, no doubt i'm not an expert and no idea if it's actually rational or not. it's a big ass surgery, for sure.

 

[Treeshark]

do your first one at 42 years old, and you need another at 57 years old. all said and done, 2 years down and out for recovery, maybe less, for 28 years of basically a perfect knee.

I think you’re making an assumption of success that is a bit risky here, especially with the revision surgery. I believe the percentage of patients dissatisfied with their primary total knee is still greater than 20%. Revision is much higher than that.

A knee with a total knee rarely feels “perfect,” and a revision knee almost never does. There are risks associated with these surgeries as well.

 

[TOGIE]

I think you’re making an assumption of success that is a bit risky here, especially with the revision surgery.

A knee with a total knee rarely feels “perfect,” and a revision knee almost never does. There are risks associated with these surgeries as well.

well yeah, i agree. really, perfect in a relative sense, relative to the old knee.

my dads surgeon just kept reassuring him by telling him about all his patients that do triathlons. but no doubt, risk is an important factor.

 

[Benfromalbuquerque]

Like most everyone here, I am not a medical professional and have no informed advice.
I do however have a Socratic question: if this were any other body part, would there be equivalent doubt?
Say you have a molar that’s been troublesome for a while. Problem tooth is now abscessed and shooting nerve pain into your jaw. Dentist said you need a root canal. Being only 41 does not change the reality of the situation.

 

[longbow51]

This is an instance of we won't know until we know. New things are, well, new.

How Long Does a Hip or Knee Replacement Last?

Longer than before, thanks to new technology and techniques

health.clevelandclinic.org

 

[LuketheDog]

this is something i wonder about though. do most modern knee replacement surgeries only last 15 years at best? i wonder if that's still true. and even if they do i feel like there is a solid case to be made if your knees are trashed in your early 40's.

making assumptions. let's assume that a modern knee replacement for a rather active individual will only last 15 years, and let's assume you largely can't do the things you wanna do for a full year for after surgery.

do your first one at 42 years old, and you need another at 57 years old. all said and done, 2 years down and out for recovery, maybe less, for 28 years of basically a perfect knee. so you're 72 and had 28 years of good knee with replacements at 42 and 57. or push it out 10 or so years being in pain and not being able to do what you wanna do as good as you can, get a replacement at 52 and maybe need another at 67 cause you can still hike and hunt at 67, but your knee is going out again. so now you're 67 and only had 15 years of good knee, and age is starting catch up with you in other ways anyway.

that's just a random example i keep thinking of. i see more years of good knee and better recreating in the younger first replacement option than the older option. better healing with younger surgeries too.

i dunno. just my current random line of thinking, no doubt i'm not an expert and no idea if it's actually rational or not. it's a big ass surgery, for sure.

My dad had his done 2 years ago at 67, dr. said he could expect maybe 20 years at normal use. My buddy's grandad just had his second one done on the same knee at 92. My other buddy's dad had two done at the same time and BOTH of them failed due to infection, he had to live without operational knee joints for nearly 4 months. I know medical technology is getting better, but dang man, I'm not going to just jump in there and hope for the best at this age, you can't go backward once that ball gets rolling. I'm going to take my advil and go for now.

 

[Brute]

Here is my knees. The screws are from a osteotomy when I was 42.



New knees in 2022 at 63. Robotic.

 

[TOGIE]

My dad had his done 2 years ago at 67, dr. said he could expect maybe 20 years at normal use. My buddy's grandad just had his second one done on the same knee at 92. My other buddy's dad had two done at the same time and BOTH of them failed due to infection, he had to live without operational knee joints for nearly 4 months. I know medical technology is getting better, but dang man, I'm not going to just jump in there and hope for the best at this age, you can't go backward once that ball gets rolling. I'm going to take my advil and go for now.

From my young guy perspective (and I reserve full rights to change my opinion ) the 40’s decade looks to me like it's the last decade where one can call himself in any way “young”

No way in hell I’m spending, or more to my point, squandering, that last (if you’re lucky) young and more agile decade with 70 year old knees. But that brings us back full circle to original post, how bad is it really?

 

[Hunting Wife]

Sucks to be in pain. Glad you will be seeking additional opinions.

I would definitely exhaust non-surgical options first if the odds are high they will actually help. But once you run out of those, I would seriously consider biting the bullet and getting the replacement even if you feel “too young”, especially if the pain is interfering with your quality of life and activities. Upside of being on the younger side is that you should recover more quickly.

Tough decision for sure. Hope it all works out for the best.

 

[belshawelk]

I can only talk about arthritis. I have it pretty severe. Finger, toes and ankles. But no bone on bone. I have had bone a graph to replace bad ankle.

20 years ago I could hardly walk, let alone much physical exercise. Starting taking Enbrel. It is a GOD send. I now only take 1/4 of what I am suppose to and I will challenge any 45yr to keep up with me in the mountains. Probably challenge most on this forum but I know there are mountain goats on here.

Taking 40 pounds off my ass didn't hurt either

 

[GrantK]

I have no personal experience with PRP, knock on wood... however, a good friend is getting a new procedure at Steadman Clinic that involves taking a sample of stem cells and regrowing cartilage in a lab to replace your original cartilage, two surgeries and a couple of months off the feet but way less invasive than a traditional knee replacement, his knee is truly jacked up, if it works for him I'd figure most knees would qualify, and I'm pretty sure it's being covered by insurance, may be worth a road trip...

 

[Bob-WY]

I had mine done at 54. Should have done it 10 years earlier. I asked my surgeon about lifespan. His exact words were "that knee will outlast you"

Get a 2nd opinion

 

[Nick87]

Absolutely no advice, but hoping the knees heal up whichever route you go.

 

[Buckybadger]

I can't relate to knee replacement, but I can relate to arthritis and bone on bone joint issues. I had my first hip replacement at the age of 40. I was in a lot of pain and had a very noticeable limp that also affected my back. Yes I was very young for a hip replacement, but I couldn't enjoy my life the way it was. I figured that by the time I needed a revision on that surgery technology would improve and make another surgery less complicated.