Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Knees are nearly bone on bone, now what?

The thing about cortisone is that it will relieve the pain ,but actually eats the joint up.There is an injection that actually lubes your knee and lasts about 6 months.It is made up of Rooster Combs,I forget the name.Most knee replacements are only good for about 8 years.I have had mine for 6 and the Dr. told me I am wearing it out from walking and lifting weights.So if you get it done,don`t use it and it will last a long time.

Knee replacement is your option

This is very true. I did some new exercises at PT yesterday that didn't feel so bad at the time but later on and today I really feel it. I don't feel good but I still need to do my at home stuff too. Today is going to suck.

If you are going to continue kneeling at work after TKR you will need to invest in good gel type knee pads. It is not good to put your kneecap between hard ground and a titanium joint.

Stem Cell treatment. It is the "new" knee replacement. Do it while you still have cartilage to grow. I am getting it as soon as I get home from my summer safari. I didn't figure I had time to let it heal before the trip to do it first. I was told I needed knee replacements 6 years ago and I have been holding on. Best thing is to find a good Doc that understands your lifestyle and isn't too hung up on one method for fixing stuff. There are a lot of temporary band-aid such as corticosteroids, hyaluronic acid injections, snake oil etc.

Stem cell is fairly new in its broad usage and can last years and years.

I tried the shark fin and glucosamine- all it did was give me bowel problems.

Been reading about this in the papers, and it does indeed look promising.

I confess that`s not my xray.
I`ve had both knees replaced

"Busting your azz in PT" can do more harm than good. You need to do exactly as your Dr. and Physical Therapist tell you, this includes exercises at home between visits to PT. Take your pain meds 30 min. before PT and ice for 20 min. after. Your doctor will tell you that you will be as good as you are going to be at one year, in my case with bi-lateral hip replacement I continued to improve into the second year mostly regaining full range of motion.

Get some Bionic pants.

Currently suffering from acute pain in my right knee. I diagnose it as some form of tendonitis. I thought my IT band was tight, but i didn't roll it out. I kneeled a bit Monday or Tuesday night. A little sore Wednesday morning, but sitting in the patrol truck, it got worse through the day. Way worse than last night. Swelling is about size of a navel orange. I can hardly walk, started using the cane. Previous xrays show some arthritis forming. Substitute doc says it is to be expected of a man mine age (54). If it isn't better in the morning, i better see the doc. Icing, rest, elevation, Vimovo isn't working. Popping Codiene left over from my last back surgery.

Anyone use ice packs on a sore knee?

Not saying you don't need surgery, necessarily, but before you do something like that, at least give the paleo diet a chance for a couple of weeks and see if the knee function returns (or starts to return) to normal. The body has the capacity to repair far in excess of what modern medicine would have you believe, but only in the context of the absence of chronic inflammation. The modern diet, in most people, eventually causes generalized chronic inflammation, which not only causes damage to all kinds of things in the body, but also prevents the body from taking healing action on repairing said damage. Eliminate the modern diet, and the inflammation, and see to what extent your body is able to repair itself.

Yep 20 minutes on and then alternate with a warm pack. Fortunately I have not had to do that in a while

We have a bag of frozen corn that's been used as an ice pack so many times, the bag has no labeling left on it :-)

Also have the cryo-cuff from my surgery that I use

FWIW, some medicines can make your joints/tendons/muscles hurt....my latest discovery was that my high blood pressure medicine (atenolol) was to blame for MOST of the issues I had thought were just a result of getting old...but I still continue the tart cherry juice, as it helps the joints too...

One thing that can’t be done with conservative treatment is restoration of cartilage. Cartilage loss leads to ligament laxity and joint instability as the joint space closes (as the ligaments become lax). Joint sheering increases which causes severe sudden onset of sharp pain that many times leads to the knee giving way and falls. I have great hope for cartilage repair but some people’s knees will be too far gone to benefit.

I know a gentleman now who is in his mid 70’s. He is a hard headed dolt who has”treated himself” for years. Glucosamine, chondroitin, knee braces, external rubs, etc. You name it he’s done it. Problem is that his “self treatment” pushed him to the point that his legs are now shaped like parentheses. He hobbled and waddles 15-20 feet with his feet about 15 inches apart compensating for severely bowed knees. He “self treated” for 10-15 years longer than he should have and now is not a candidate for knee replacement because his heart won’t tolerate the surgeries. Unfortunately, he is still the smartest guy in the room concerning his knees and other health problems.

While knee replacement is basically the same for any knee everyone’s experience is uniquely their own. I have rehab’d hundreds of knees after TKR. I have treated many people after each knee was replaced. Rehab is always a bit different even on the same person and each individual knee. A basic rule that I’ve found based on observation is that the longer one waits to undergo the surgery the harder the rehab and the more muscle atrophy and weakness and the worse muscle contractures that develope prior to surgery. These things cause the rehab to be that much more difficult and painful.

My advice would be find a good conservative orthopedist who is open to newer treatment methods. Explore cartilage regeneration options because keeping the original equipment is best. If you are nervous get a second opinion. Be very cautious about the advice that you get from people that have undergone replacement surgery. Many times the people that have had the worst experience and down the procedure are people who didn’t do their rehab properly. Also, too many will become drama queens and tell you horror stories about your rehab process. If done properly and your PT isn’t a ham fisted gorilla you can recover without the need for psychological councelling after it’s done.


Edited to add. By conservative treatment I’m referenceing over the counter substances.

Had mine done at Methodist Sports Medicine in Houston. The same outfit where all the professional athletes go. The doctor said he does about 400 annually.

My take on bone on bone knees and pain has only one remedy. Get them replaced, (total knee replacement) do your rehab, and then use them---,often! I went through the pills, and anything anybody recommended until I missed one full big game season. After that, I went to my V.A. doctor and he showed me the xrays that both knees were bone to bone, and needed treated. I opted for the usual cortisone shots which worked once, but the next time they didn't. I then asked him to do the chicken comb injections which didn't work.
By then we decided on knee rep!acement. That of course was delayed due to the Govt's Choice program .
Finally in 2015 in Oct. and Dec. I had both knees replaced at Ortho MT. in Billings.
After 24 rehab sessions , I had practically no pain. Then I got serious and started hiking approx 20 miles a week in the hills around town.I have been doing this since spring of 2016 and my health, including my knees is better than it has been for years. I am 72 years old and the guy I walk with is 71. He has had his knees replaced also.
I know many people that have had their knees replaced and most of them wished they wouldn't have waited so long.
Besides getting my knees back, I have also gotten back into good hunting shape, and I get to see deer,elk,antelope,bears,rattlesnakes and everything else almost everyday. I also have discovered that my Merril boots have well over 600 miles on them and are still good for a couple hundred more. They have done a good job considering I have weighed around 240 lbs for those miles!
I have been wanting to report this success story to guys that like to get out and enjoy the outdoors and are willing to make it happen with new knees.
You won't regret it if you do the work.
Now back to the alternative methods of prolonging the pain!

Ken

[quote=Fireball2]For those that have btdt, I'd like to know what to expect in the coming years and what level of activity you can do. At 52, I'm too young to be wearing out my knees, but doc says left knee is nearly bone on bone, right is not far behind. Got a cortizone shot today he said would help with inflammation and pain.

Trying to get a good grasp on what the future holds so I can make some decisions on how to best preserve what I've got left.



You’ll know when and what. No one will have to tell you. You ain’t hurting bad enough,,,,yet.

The Doctor who did my left knee work was the same doctor that kept Nolan Ryan pitching for a lot of years.

I was skeptical about the drilling holes on the bone heads working at all.

But years later it is still holding up.

No voodoo involved.