will knee straps help

[tigerspawn]

RWY Im having same issues. Thanks to a work related injury I have very little cartilage in my right knee. I had surgery, did 4 months of PT and was told by physical therapist that I needed knee replacement.
I have seen seven different orthopedic specialists from five different offices and they all told me the same thing. They agree that I need a knee replacement. They all say that I’m too young and have to wait.
Times roman I asked them if I need one why can’t I have it now. They stated that with normal use a replacement typically last 20 years. The life expectancy of a replacement decreases with weight over 240 lbs. and high wear and tear. (Examples: body building, high levels of any standing cardio) Also the effectiveness of repeated surgeries decreases with each surgery.

[Times Roman]

RWY Im having same issues. Thanks to a work related injury I have very little cartilage in my right knee. I had surgery, did 4 months of PT and was told by physical therapist that I needed knee replacement.
I have seen seven different orthopedic specialists from five different offices and they all told me the same thing. They agree that I need a knee replacement. They all say that I’m too young and have to wait.
Times roman I asked them if I need one why can’t I have it now. They stated that with normal use a replacement typically last 20 years. The life expectancy of a replacement decreases with weight over 240 lbs. and high wear and tear. (Examples: body building, high levels of any standing cardio) Also the effectiveness of repeated surgeries decreases with each surgery.

OK. Worse case scenerio

Option 1: Go with knee replacement NOW
Pros:
*walk in 2 to 3 days
*90+% in a few weeks
*Big improvement in quality of life - ability to exercise moderately, no knee pain, not always thinking about knee pain
Cons:
*probably lasts 20 years, may need a second knee later on

Option 2: Wait 20 years and then replace knee
Pros:
*Delay Knee surgery for 20 years
Cons:
*Having to deal with Knee pain misery for the next 20 years until you do get it replaced.
*This will have a huge impact on your quality of life - knees will always hurt, your ability to exercise will be degraded



So the bottom line is this:

Do you want to go through a big pain for a short period of time, and then get relief for the rest of your life, with the outside chance you may need knees replaced again in 20 year, or...

would you prefer to be miserable for the next 20 years until the "doctors" say you are "old enough" for knee replacement

btw, many doctors believe that if your knees need to be replaced, then replace them. Age has nothing to do with it

my .02

---Roman