Knee Replacement

[chris carter]

I am trying to decide on finally replacing my front knee. Is there anyone out there skiing with a total knee replacement?

[6balls]

@chris carter have you exhausted all other options? Are you taking glucosamine/chondroitin, meloxicam, utilizing synvisc injections or corticosteroid injections? If not would put off surgery and try the remaining conservative options in combination if necessary.

[Stevie Boy]

You can lookup McMinn Center in the UK , they reckon you can ski after knee replacement, I have had extensive microfracture surgery recently, much bigger area than most people, basically most of my patella, plus meniscus for the third time, included shaving of the bone to try and prevent it catching and tearing again, I do not know what your knee problem is, fortunately most of my compartments are ok, it,s taken some time but the knee is starting to feel good and I am starting to run some passes with no problems, my specialist who I consider to be extremely good, tells me that if I have a knee replacement, and he is very forceful when he says this, is that I would not ski on it.

Mr Jones who frequents this forum is very informed not only does he offer great support for which I am grateful, but he knows what he is talking about, if he responds to this post, I would take his advice.

There are some very good braces for certain problems that can make a big difference.

Your age could be a deciding factor as well, early knee replacement is never a good thing, they do have limited life and from what I understand, you can only have two.

[sixball]

At 65 one of our old farts did both knees total replacement like Feb.8. Back on the water June 8. Now we are not hard core buoy chasers but he is skiing better than ever. He also had polio as a child so his trailing foot does not hold the weight like many of us. Good luck if yo do it.

[Bubski]

I had my knee replaced on March 29. I spent 2 days on a walker and two days on a cane and then was walking without an aid with pain. I was back on my road bike at one month and skied at 12 weeks but still not very strong. I have just begun to have the strength ( the last week or so) needed to really ski hard and for now I am wearing a knee brace for support till all the strength comes back. I would suggest doing it but I had no choice since my knee was bone on bone and my acl was torn and could not ski because knee hurt too much. It is a painful surgery but I would do it again.

[Stevie Boy]

Thats encouraging for me, I will have to have a new knee at some point, I wonder why my specialist was so adamant that I would not ski after a knee replacement.

Good work ! Powelle, keep doing them exercises, wish you well and a speedy recovery.

[6balls]

Because your surgeon is not concerned about your heart and soul, he is concerned about an uncomplicated, long-term, durable joint replacement. The odds of that are decreased with sports such as water skiing and others. Doesn't mean you can't, you just take an increased risk with the joint.

[xrated]

I'm no MD, but I in the course of my job I have seen many people who down hill ski on fake knees....even into their 80s. I ask them and the reason they got a new knee was so they could keep skiing. Don't see why it would be any different on water.

[Up North]

I have skiing partner that is 69 that had both knees replaced about 4 years ago. His main activity now is biking and waterskiing along with downhill skiing in the winter months. My wife is a PT and has examined him and worked with him before and after his surgery. Her feelings were that he had waited too long to have the replacement and that his ligaments (I believe), had loosened up and he had created other issues walking and moving differently for so long that it made things worse now than they would have otherwise been. If you would like to talk to him directly, I can get you his phone number. I was watching him the other day, and he is free skiing better than he ever has (in my opinion of him over the past 20 years).

[racerdjs]

Chris, My lake partner found your question and I will give you my story. I had a total Biomet Signiture Knee on March 7 2012. I tried over 8 years to find the right over the counter supplement and prescriptions to elongate the time until surgery was the last resort. I am 58 and NOT a shortline skier. I along with 3 others built a dedicated ski lake. I was going to wait until Fall for the surgery, but this last winter things went so painfully downhill that even staying in Florida did not work. Being an engineer, I was waiting on the 'right' procedure. I had a chance to attend a seminar about hip and knee replacments on January. When I heard that after an MRI of the diseased knee area, hip and ankle, Biomet builds a model. They along with the Doctor agree on all the post surgery measurments and alignments. Then the new knee was built. The Doctor brought in an x-ray of their greatest damage of bone on bone, put mine up and said mine was the worst case so far. While on the operating table, specially designed for this procedure, the surgeon has jig that he puts on the upper bone and makes 4 cuts. The lower bone is the same. The two new pieces are installed and measurments checked. I kept complaining about most of the pain on the inside of my new knee. While open, he freed up all the connective tisue since I was going to be very active. After some time, these connective tissues reconnect at the new good position. I showed the Doctor a video of a pull and he did not see a problem post surgery. Physical therapy was very painful but they knew I wanted to go back to the course. At 21 days post op, I had 127 degrees of flexion. To prepare for surgery, while in Florida I rode my bycycle 25 miles a day and when in Indiana 30 minutes on my eliptical. Here is a link: http://www.biomet.com/orthopedics/productDetail.cfm?category=2&product=242

[racerdjs]

I skied my first set on May 5 but felt ready about 4 days earlier. At my six week check up, the Doctor told me I could do whatever I wanted. He stated that I would know when to try sking for the first time. I was able to walk 2-3 miles a day at 4 weeks post op. I was back on my motorcycle after the six week check. I was riding my bycycle and did the eliptical 5 days a week at 6 weeks post op. I worked over half of the time backwards (eliptical) which stretched some of the stiffness. Believe it or not, I skied better and sooner with my new straight leg at the start of the new season. I was a total nut case on the first pull. I had no idea what that first deep water start would feel like. I can't guarantee yours or any others will have my same results, but this is my story. If I can help you or others with any other advise, I will do so! I wish I had done it sooner. No over the counter or precriptions are used now and I have NO pain!

[TeamWally]

I took a nasty tumble in the backcountry at whistler in Jan 2010, tore the meniscus, ripped my calf etc etc. Had award winning knee doc perform nip and tuck, 6 months later I still had problems running a pass, couldn't snow ski for more than 2 hours. His answer was replace both knees. Glad I found regenexx.com/the-regenexx-procedures/knee-surgery-alternatives/ I'm skiing as well, if not better after 2 stemcell treatments. The stemcells came from MY bone marrow. Nobody elses DNA involved. The docs in Denver are former ski patrolers, they get it. Minimal discomfort, minimal rehab and no frankenjunk in my joints. They also solved some chronic back issues and tightened up my torn mcl & acl. From thier web site.

 

Regenexx Stem Cell Procedure for Knee PainThe Regenexx-Family™ of Knee Surgery Alternatives are breakthrough, non-surgical stem-cell treatments for people suffering from knee pain due to common injuries or other degenerative problems.

 

If you have encountered an injury to the knee meniscus, ACL or MCL, cartilage or have chronic knee pain due to a past injury or osteoarthritis (also known as “degenerative joint disease” or “wear and tear arthritis of the knee”), you may be a good candidate for the Regenexx Procedure.

 

Traditional options for patients suffering from these issues include arthroscopic knee surgery to repair ligament tears, or total knee joint replacement. With both surgeries, months of rehab are required, and the patient must be aware of and prepared to take on the risks.

 

As a knee surgery or knee replacement alternative, the Regenexx-SD procedure may help alleviate knee pain and the conditions that cause it with a simple office injection procedure. Patients are encouraged to walk the same day, and most experience little to no down time from the procedure." />" />" />