Knee Surgery: Is It Right for You?

What is the Right Age?

Many patients come into CORE Orthopedics and Sports Medicine wondering what the “right age” is for knee surgery. Sometimes, they question whether they are too young for a knee replacement, and other times, they worry they have actually passed the age where surgery would still be safe or effective. The short answer to their question is that there’s no one right age for knee surgery.

Our doctors and surgeons evaluate patients on an individual basis — no two bodies are exactly the same, so why should we treat them that way? We base our recommendations for surgery on a patient’s pain and disability, rather than their age. There are no weight or age restrictions for total knee surgery. In general, total knee replacement candidates are somewhere between 50 and 80 years of age, but we have had successful outcomes after knee surgery in patients of all ages.

Instead of focusing on a patient’s age, we focus on their pain and quality of life to determine whether they are a good candidate for total knee replacement surgery. First and foremost, we make sure the patient has attempted all other conservative measures before we recommend surgery. When other measures fail, we will usually recommend surgery for the following reasons:

• • To relieve pain
• • To maximize quality of life
• • To optimize performance of daily activities
• • To improve joint stability
• • To improve alignment and correct bone deformity

*Safety Note: Knee replacement surgery is intended to relieve knee pain and improve knee functions. However, implants may not produce the same feel or function as your original knee. There are potential risks with knee replacement surgery such as loosening, fracture, dislocation, wear and infection that may result in the need for additional surgery. Longevity of implants depends on many factors, such as types of activities and weight. Do not perform high impact activities such as running and jumping unless your surgeon tells you the bone has healed and these activities are acceptable. Early device failure, breakage or loosening may occur if you do not follow your surgeon’s limitations on activity level. Early failure can happen if you do not guard your knee joint against overloading due to activity level, failure to control body weight or accidents such as falls. Talk to your doctor to determine what treatment may be best for you.

Reasons for Knee Replacement Surgery

Knee replacement surgery is a common procedure performed on more than 600,000 people worldwide each year, but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be taken seriously as the major surgery it is.

At CORE Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, our first approach to knee treatment is to try conservative measures like lifestyle changes and over-the-counter pain medications. But when those methods are ineffective for patients, our doctors and surgeons recommend a total knee replacement for the successful improvement of pain and symptoms.

For patients who need it, a knee replacement serves to:

1. Relieve pain
2. Maximize quality of life
3. Optimize activities of daily living
4. Improve joint stability
5. Improve alignment and correct bone deformity

With recent advancements in surgical technique and implant design, we’ve been able to help patients achieve reduction of knee pain, increased joint function, and overall better quality of life. Sometimes patients worry that their results will be short-lived if their implants don’t hold up.

However, improvements in implant materials have enabled implants to last up to a decade or more so that patients can expect many years of active, pain-free living.