Do I Need A Knee Replacement?
A couple of days ago I was talking to my father in-law who is a 70 year-old nice guy from Kansas. The man himself has a hip and knee replacement. He used to be a football player back in high school and college. I don’t know exactly what position he had in the team (I am not very verse when it comes to football), but I know he was one of the big guys placed to stop the quarterback… a linebacker I think. Anyways, due to his athletic background he damaged his hip and knee and finally had to quit.
By the time he received surgery, his joints were severely damaged and pain was constant. Any orthopedic doctor at this point would know that there are no other options when patients have cases like the one he had. One of the main indicators of a knee replacement is pain, swelling and basically a constant discomfort of the joint.
While we were talking, he told me a friend of his recently had a knee replacement. The funny or I would say scary part of the story is that the guy went to the orthopedic surgeon for a revision and ended up in the operating room. When I asked him to go in depth about the case he said that he was complaining now because he was in pain.
I didn’t get it. Well, the thing was that when the doctor checked him, he said his knee was ready for a replacement. He didn’t have any pain, discomfort or any other external indication to push the procedure, still he did. The ignorant patient trusted the doctor’s criteria and did it. Now he is in total pain, discomfort and with a knee he surely didn’t needed.
Ten years ago I was diagnosed with a herniated disk. The doctor told me that two or three of my disks looked like the ones of a sixty-year old person. At the time I was in my early twenties. He right away recommended surgery to fix them, to which I said no because I was able to handle the pain plus I was already enrolled in a rehabilitation program and were getting amazing results. Years have passed and I never went for surgery.
Every doctor has a personal point of view of the results he sees from analysis or scans. When it comes to surgery and mostly when you are not feeling bad at all, you should definitively look for a second opinion in cases like the one mentioned above. The body is amazing and capable of adapting itself to function perfectly under adverse circumstances.
The patient didn’t even receive a partial but total knee replacement. That is not acceptable! Please be sure to always analyze scenarios and research more the different possibilities you face when surgery is required.
Our practice is always open for consultations; our orthopedic doctor, Leon Mead MD, is known for his strong ethics. Don’t hesitate to contact us if you think or feel you need to find out more information about your particular case. This space has been created to give you the information and tools to obtain the best outcomes you can, please take advantage of it.
Orthopedic Corner | Leon Mead MD Orthopedic Doctor | 730 Goodlette Road North, Suite 201 Naples Florida 34102 | Phone: (239) 262-1119