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Knee Replacement

Knee replacement surgery is the removal of a damaged knee joint to be replaced with prosthesis. This procedure is known as total knee arthroplasty and is usually necessary for severe osteoarthritis or accidental injury.

415 Questions

Can percocet tolerance level be returned to my original level before I have total knee replacement if the dosage has been at 2 tablets 10325 every four to six hours for the last 24 months?

Oh God yes. I wish I was on that low a dose.

Tolerance levels take a long time at lower dosages to be realized, and even then it depends on the person. Dosage levels can be reduced much easier and faster though.

Depending on how fast withdrawal symptoms come upon you and how bad they are, the easiest and safest way to do it is to drop your dose incrementally over time.

Try cutting one pill in half, and then using 15mg instead of 20 per dose, and see if you can handle the withdrawal symptoms. If not, cut it in quarters, and start with 17.5mg per dose and work your way down. Try decreasing the dose every week at first to see if you can handle the withdrawal, if not extend it to 2 weeks. You get the idea.

If you have a problem with that, you can always get a drug from your doctor to help ease the withdrawal symptoms, but it's easier to do it the way I've listed above.

If you're curious, I've been in Pain Management for over 10 years and I've done that myself. Prior to my last spinal operation in 2006, my L3 disk had finally collapsed, with the vertebrae touching bone on bone. In addition to using between 120/150 Percocet 10/325's per month, I also use Duragesic 100 patches for primary pain. The pain was so bad that I had already had to double my patch dose because I was using a lot more Percocet than normal. When it collapsed, I was using my patches, my Percocet, 100mg Demerol tablets, AND 30mg MSContin tablets. It still didn't help the pain much. In the end I wound up using Prednisone to lower the inflammation enough so the pain meds could work.

It took about 6 weeks and a lot of withdrawals, but I was able to get back to my original dosages of 1 Duragesic 100 patch and Percocet 10/325's (2 or 3 as needed, still use the same amount per month).

I still don't understand though why you'd want to lower your dose before a major surgery though - you're still going to wind up needing more, so why lower the dose if you're just going to have to increase it again? Since you've been taking a set dose for a long time like me, it'll take a long time at a lower dose for your actual tolerance to go down. By "long time" I mean many months or longer depending on your system.

Depending also on how much you take regularly and if your pain is chronic and steady like mine, you might benefit more from a long term chronic pain med like Duragesic. The dose you're taking is relatively low for those of us experiencing severe pain. There's a direct conversion table for the equivalent amounts of Percocet related to a relative amount of morphine. Knowing that amount, you can then figure out the relative amount of morphine it would take to equal a certain dose of Fentanyl in a Duragesic patch. Knowing those, you can figure out how much Percocet is equivalent to certain dosages of Fentanyl in Duragesic. For your dose, I'd guess probably a 25 or 50 micro patch would be the equivalent. Something to think about.

Can rolfing help knee pain?

Of course it depends on the cause of the knee pain, but better alignment of the foot, knee and hip joints, which is achieved by Rolfing can reduce the pressure on the joint.

If tense muscles, adhesions and/or short fascia keeps pulling on one side of the knee, it can't function properly - in these cases Rolfing can help a lot.

I recommend finding a few Rolfers in your area and to talk to them - either over the phone, or better in person, and see what experience they have in treating specific conditions.

Most Rolfers offer free consultations.

When not to have a knee replacement?

Here are the criteria for when you should have a knee replacement

1) The pain in your knee is affecting your normal daily activities eg walking, stairs etc

2) Your knee pain is affecting your sleep - frequently keeps you awake or wakes you up

3) You have tried exercises to strengthen your knee for a reasonable period with no effect

4) You are in severe pain

If your symptoms are not as severe as these, a Knee Joint Replacement is not needed.

Cost of an osteotomy?

Knee osteotomy is a surgery that removes a part of the bone to increase the knee's stability. In 2014, osteotomy in the United States costs $11,400.

What brands of equipment are used for total knee replacement?

Lots of manufacturers makes these, the big names are DePuy, Biomet, Zimmer, Smith & Nephew, Stryker, Wright Medical, Exactech.

Can a rhino virus cause infection in a knee replacement?

Simple answer... no. Different mechanism required. Bacterial infection yes, Rhino virus no.

What exercises increase the range of motion after bilateral knee replacement surgery?

I had bilateral knee replacent surgery three months ago. I have not been able to increase the range of motion beyond 95 degrees. I exercise daily on a stationary bike and a rowing machine. Swelling is almost gone.

Is knee liposuction worth it?

If you choose knee liposuction chances are your body will just replace it and you will have scar tissue from the surgery. You may be lacking some synovial fluid in your knee and the weight and fat is pushing it out when you put pressure on it. Increase your water intake and work on lossing weight naturally walking and watching your diet.

What is the 5 year success rate for disk replacement surgery?

Currently, artificial disc replacement is considered experimental and is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Most of the research that has been conducted on artificial discs has been carried out in Europe.

Different models have been developed, but the most widely used and known artificial disc is the LINK SB Charite III prosthesis made by Waldemar Link GmbH & Company, Hamburg, Germany. The model consists of two metal metallic plates that have teeth to anchor the implant between the bones or vertebral bodies. Between the two plates is a rubber core made up of polyethylene that allows for motion.

In order to avoid complications that may arise from artificial disc replacement surgery, careful selection of patients by the surgeon is critical. At present, it is thought that the best candidates for spinal disc replacement are adults with a one level symptomatic degenerative disc.

Patients whose bone may not be as strong due to aging, or some other bone disorder, may develop problems if the implant settles into the "soft" bone. Therefore, these individuals are not considered optimal candidates for this type of procedure. Since there can be movement of the implant, patients with a slippage of one vertebra on another (termed "spondylolisthesis") are also not considered candidates for artificial disc replacement. Based on the current research, the clinical diagnoses that seem the most fitting for artificial disc replacement include symptomatic degenerative disc disease and post-discectomy syndrome. Post-discectomy syndrome is persistent back pain following previous surgery to remove a herniated disc.

Patients may also not improve following the procedure and may require additional surgery. Finally, like joint replacement surgery, artificial implants may fail over time due to wear of the materials and loosening of the implants. Therefore, long term studies that track the life span of the implants are needed.

Does any surgery help knee arthritis?

Surgery to repair and replace knee joints has been a method of treating the results of arthritis for many years and has had mixed results.

Is a knee replacement covered by critical illness policies?

Yes and no. A standard critical illness policy would usually not cover knee and hip replacements. But all critical illness policies are different and it is possible to get a partial cover for knees and hips with some carriers.

After knee replacement 2 months ago developed staph and E. coli infections and will require a spacer be inserted will you be able to walk while spacer is in knee?

Yes you can walk with a spacer inserted, although your leg does feel a bit wobbly. I also had a support that wrapped around my knee/leg to aid me walking. I used astick to help.

Having had knee replacement why does your foot hurt worse than your knee?

I had a total knee replacement 7 years ago and the bottom of my foot has always felt different but here in the past year my foot on the bottom has been getting worse with pain. Does this have anything to do with a knee repalcement?

Is anyone else having a problem with the biomet vanguard knee system?

Yes! I had a Knee replacement in Feb. 2007 and have been in pain ever since.

I called the sergeon's office and they said there was no recall on Biomet replacement knees. I have gone to another orthopedic sergeon and he tells me that from X-Rays he has taken that the knee is loose in my leg. I would like to know if mine is the only case like this or if this common.

Hezzie Thompson

Parrish, Alabama

Where can one buy replacement kitchen doors at a low cost?

There are a wide variety of retail locations that sell kitchen doors for affordable costs. Sears, Ikea, and Home Depot, for example, each provide this service.

How good is attune knee replacement?

The attune knee replacement is the newest innovated, type of knee replacement. The attune knee replacement is so good that is provides more mobility and it eases the unstable feeling most all patients have with any other type of knee replacement.