I need a knee replacement

Jeanne Gallagher · 28-05-2019 9:26pm

Hi, I know this forum seems quite old but desperately looking for advice!

I am a 45 year old woman living in Dublin. Having had ACL surgery 20 years ago, which is still holding the ligament strong, I have had medial compartment arthritis in my knee. I would have been extremely sporty all my life playing school, inter country and club senior hockey, as well as running, hiking, spinning etc. Now I am lucky to walk at times. For months i have worked with a physio to strengthen my legs muscles, wear a action reliever knee brace every day. In the last year I have seen two consultants, Gary O'Toole and Mihai Voireani but neither will offer any surgery as options, as I am toooooo young. What rubbish.

Do anyone know of a consultant who is reputable in Dublin whom does knee replacements on younger patients??

Thanks for your help

....... · 29-05-2019 9:24am

Sorry to hear of your knee troubles, I am the same age as you and have had 3 knee surgeries since my teens, the first one screwed it up for life and the next 2 were to try and relieve some of the damage from the first one.

Maurice Neligan Jr took me on when I had tried for help off a few different consultants and said that he would do whatever was necessary for me.

So I would try him. Im not sure where he sits now, I have seen him in the Beacon and in Tallaght but I believe he has given up his position in Tallaght now.

What options are Gary O Toole and Mihai Voireani offering you seeing as you are unable to walk at times?

horsey63 · 29-05-2019 11:16am

I had my 1st knee replaced at 40 by Padraic Murray here in Dublin but who now has unfortunately moved to the Galway Clinic.

Have you been offered any treatment by the 2 consultants you have seen ? Have they indicated that the only option is a knee replacement ? I have heard great things about Denis Collins.

Jeanne Gallagher · 29-05-2019 12:14pm

Thanks alot for both of your replies.

Only treatment offered is an injection to remove excess fluid when flared up badly and then inject synovial fluid into joint. Whilst this does work wonders, it is only temporary relief and Mihai won't do it regularly. Other than that the treatment is to "manage" the arthritis by non loading activities, keep body weight down, leg muscle strength work, wear a brace daily - all of which i do religiously. It enables me to walk short distances but not take part in other life activities i.e. gardening, cleaning the house, chasing in a playround with my daughter, walk with friends etc etc.

It seems hard to find much info online but did read about Maurice so will try him. Other consultants say if they did knee replacement, i may be worse off with it and no option to turn back.

....... · 29-05-2019 12:37pm

Maurice talked to me about some new resurfacing technique that might help too. Dont know if youd be a candidate. But he is at the forefront of whats available. And he is a genuinely good bloke who wants to help.

Initially you said they said you were too young for a knee replacement, however your last post indicates that they think you are not a suitable candidate.

Theres a big difference there and if 2 consultants are telling you you are not a suitable candidate for a knee replacement (not based on age) then you might not get any joy off any others.

Cork Lass · 29-05-2019 5:37pm

Hi, OP here. I do wonder why 2 consultants have refused to do this surgery for you - age shouldn’t be a huge factor if the surgery is deemed necessary. A friend of mine had both hers done together in her early forties and I’ve heard of plenty young(ish) people having this surgery. I’d.caution you to be careful though if it is a case that you are not deemed suitable. It’s not an easy surgery and there’s always a chance it won’t work. Personally, mine hasn’t been a great success. I had the original replacement in Feb 2017 and a revision in Feb 2018. I’m still not right and walk with a very obvious limp. Apparently I have a condition called arthrofibrosis which means I have excessive scar tissue and this means I cannot bend or straighten my knee properly. If I could go back in time I would have waited until I couldn’t walk before having the surgery. I’m now on the hunt for a consultant that can successfully treat my condition but as it’s so rare (1% of people get this) there are not many consultants with huge experience. Again, as another poster said - Denis Collins is supposed to be very good.

CavanGilly · 29-05-2019 11:40pm

Jeanne and Cork Lass sounds like you both are having an awful time of it.

I was booked in for replacement in Santry Sports Clinic 2 yrs ago. Basically no cartilage on outside of the knee, have very little bend in it and lot of arthritis - knee has been scoped twice down thru the years. Decided to get a 2nd opinion before the op as family were telling me I was too young (was 45 at the time). Went to Paul Connolly as he performed a hip replacement for me in 2016 (he works from Cappagh hospital and Mater Private) and while he said my knee was basically banjaxed and I needed a replacement he advised against it because of my age. He said that while the surgery itself would be fine problems may arise when it comes time for the revision - replacements last generally about 15 yrs if looked after. Apparently revisions are harder to do, takes longer to recover from and don't last as long. If I had to have gone ahead with it in 2017 and have a revision at say 60 yrs of age, chances are I would be having a 3rd replacement by 70/72 yrs of age. His advice was to put it off for as long as I can.

Tbh I am glad I did put it off - when I made the initial surgery appointment 2 yrs ago I was going thru a rough couple of months with my knee and something as simple as turning over in bed caused the bones to rub off each other resulting in awful pain and swelling but it hasn't been as bad since. I am limited in what I can do (short walks, started Pilates but no sport or anything that has an impact) but i am happy with that as I do want to avoid multiple surgeries down the road and have some quality of life when I retire:)

Zaph · 30-05-2019 1:58am

Jeanne Gallagher wrote: »

Hi, I know this forum seems quite old but desperately looking for advice!

I am a 45 year old woman living in Dublin. Having had ACL surgery 20 years ago, which is still holding the ligament strong, I have had medial compartment arthritis in my knee. I would have been extremely sporty all my life playing school, inter country and club senior hockey, as well as running, hiking, spinning etc. Now I am lucky to walk at times. For months i have worked with a physio to strengthen my legs muscles, wear a action reliever knee brace every day. In the last year I have seen two consultants, Gary O'Toole and Mihai Voireani but neither will offer any surgery as options, as I am toooooo young. What rubbish.

Do anyone know of a consultant who is reputable in Dublin whom does knee replacements on younger patients??

Thanks for your help

I'm 51 and I had the second of my knees replaced a couple of years ago by one of the surgeons mentioned in the recent posts in this thread. However, the surgery was only as a last resort after I had spent years having injections, getting fluid drained from my knees and some minor surgery designed to defer replacements for as long as possible, having known for about 10 years in advance that they were inevitable at some stage. If you're still getting injections and they're "working wonders" for you, my guess is that it's not because you're too young, but rather because you are still responding to other treatments and are therefore not a suitable candidate for knee replacement.

What I will say is that the operation itself and the recovery afterwards are pretty brutal, so it's not something to be undertaken lightly. And the main issue with replacing joints in younger patients is that the joints themselves have a finite lifespan, so in time they'll need to be replaced themselves, as mentioned above. I know I'm certainly not looking forward to going through all that again when the time comes.

keano_afc · 30-05-2019 3:14pm

Zaph wrote: »

I'm 51 and I had the second of my knees replaced a couple of years ago by one of the surgeons mentioned in the recent posts in this thread. However, the surgery was only as a last resort after I had spent years having injections, getting fluid drained from my knees and some minor surgery designed to defer replacements for as long as possible, having known for about 10 years in advance that they were inevitable at some stage. If you're still getting injections and they're "working wonders" for you, my guess is that it's not because you're too young, but rather because you are still responding to other treatments and are therefore not a suitable candidate for knee replacement.

What I will say is that the operation itself and the recovery afterwards are pretty brutal, so it's not something to be undertaken lightly. And the main issue with replacing joints in younger patients is that the joints themselves have a finite lifespan, so in time they'll need to be replaced themselves, as mentioned above. I know I'm certainly not looking forward to going through all that again when the time comes.

Thats the reason I was given. My right side is riddled with arthritis, and I ended up having a total hip replacement last year. I'm 39. My knee is now aching, compounded by a meniscus tear earlier this year. I had surgery for that, and thats when the arthritic knee was discovered. My surgeon is reluctant to do the knee replacement.

I need a knee replacement

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