25 Years Old - Arthritis in Right Knee. Doctor said it was moderate to bad.

[Engineer Joe]

I've played soccer my whole life.  About 5 months ago, I screwed up my knee.  It turned out to be a loosened bi-partite patella.  But when doc did the surgery, he said he saw damaged cartiledge[sp?] under the kneecap.  He said there's some kind of rating scale that goes 1 - 4.  He said that mine was pretty advanced for my age, and that it was in the 2 and 3 range.  I don't know what any of this means.  Apparently, once you get to 4, it's a case of bone-on-bone.  Does this merit a total knee replacement?  My understanding is that people never have total knee replacements before they are 60.  I'm very worried about this.  I do not want to stop playing soccer.  But I don't want to mess my legs up for the rest of my life.  He said it would help to strengthen my VMO, and he also performed a lateral retinacular release.  I've got a good mixture of extra weight, divided between both muscle and fat , that I could lose also.  If I stopped weight-liftiing for strength, and just did cardio activities, I could probably knock down to about 180 lbs.  (When I hurt myself I was 200 lb.  Now, 5 months later, I'm 220 b/c I decided to start lifting weights and see how big I could get before surgery.)  So now I'm a week out of the bipartite patella surgery and it looks like it is healing well.  But I'm very puzzled about what I should do concerning my pending arthritic life.  It will be very hard for me to quit playing soccer.  Should I just take as many other preventative measures as possible, and continue to play?  Has anyone else dealt with this type of cartilege damage at this age?  He said the rest of my joint looked good, but that underneath the kneecap, I had quite abit of damage....

[Mike780]

Hiya

I'm 43 had some cartilage removed in July as my knee kept swelling up/ becoming painful during badminton and after long walks  ( original injury , slipped in the gym in 1997 and tore meniscus cartilage never got it sorted out)  was told grade 4 bone on bone OS ( the worst)  in the knee cap groove and one compartment by the consultant OS when he removed the torn cartilage and cleaned the knee out . I was told I would need a knee replacement, due to his report I was placed on  temp restricted duties by our Occ Health  at work.

I'm a police officer, was scared stiff as to the prospect of drastic surgery and thought of being office based for my last years , after the operation knee felt better than before , no pain/swelling and only symptom some stiffness when going up stairs  an infrequent mild ache and unable to fully straighten the leg when lying flat, go regular to the gym and have been jogging without any problems.

I  was referred to my forces chief medical officer ( a senior doctor)  in November , and expected him to place me permanent restricted duties , he examined me for about an hour and studied my X-rays and scope pictures, he explained in plain English  my consultants post operation report and whilst I have grade 4 it is only in patches where the cartilage missing , the exposed parts are not onto each other and not likely to meet for years to come, he put me back to full duties as normal activity will not make it any worse.

Many do need a knee replacement before aged 60  but their symptoms quite severe and if you look at their surgery/injury history you see many have sustained serious knee injuries rather than just OA discovered after cartilage removal or other minor repair surgery

I suggest if you can, you obtain your X-rays/scans and would appear even if diagnosed as grade 4 doesn't mean you will be in need of a knee replacement or be incapacitated in the short term and what with advances in replacement cartilage likely that you might not need one at all. It is worth getting someone to sit down with you and explain what it all means in real terms


Also remember that by reading some of the posts from the good people on here you try to fit their symptoms and outcome to yours which in my case ended up making me more apprehensive and the worry / not knowing was causing me more problems than the knee, everyone is different and someones grade 1 with their associated problems might be more debilitating than my grade 4, the CMO told me that loads he has examined have had grade 4  some for many years with only mild-moderate symptoms of OA

I was advised to lose a couple of stone and to avoid impact sports but was told that exercise/sport the best thing I could do to build up my quads. Regarding your weight you don't have to be a rocket scientist to realise that if you are obese or seriously overweight you are putting more load on your knees and your symptoms as well as your general health likely to be bad, those who say otherwise just fooling only themselves

Will I need a knee replacement in the future? , who knows but now not worrying about it , looking forward to playing badminton next year

[kittent1211]

There is no cure for arthritis.  I would say that you should enjoy playing sports for as long as you can.  Yes, some day you will need a knee replacement but for now just concentrate on enjoying the time you have left before your knee gets too bad. 

[Mike780]

I prefer some day you may need a knee replacement , nothing in this life is a certainty

[Natalie.D]

Hi

I'm one of the people that Mike has mentioned, I have grade 4 bone on bone OA in all 3 compartments, both knees, I'm 38 (OA started in my 20s) and my OA pain is nothing like a lot of other people's who are at this stage, I can still lead an active life, okay there are things I cannot do like run or play certain sports and I have accepted that but I can still do a lot of things, most days I don't need to take any painkillers at all and can generally control my pain with applying a heat pad to relax the muscles.  I do need TKRs but I am not willing to go for them yet as my pain levels don't warrant taking that risk just yet, I don't want to have failed TKRs and be worse off than I am now.  You may be lucky and have a small amount of pain all through the progression of your OA and may not, like myself, feel the need to get a TKR as soon as the OS will allow.  I too lost some weight, a stone and a half (21lbs) and even that small amount really made a big difference, I've continued to use my treadmill and stationery bike and I also try to go swimming sometimes (but I'm not keen on swimming unless I'm somewhere hot - I live in Scotland where hot weather is a rarity  ), so it doesn't necessarily follow that your pain levels will increase as the damage does, as long as your pain is manageable I would continue to play and just do everything you can to look after the knees, ie keeping the weight down and the muscles strong and hopefully you can get a load more years in before coming to the stage of needing a replacement.  Also, when the time comes you may only need a PKR since the other 2 compartments so far are fine, so try not to worry too much about this as it may never come to needing a TKR.

Natalie.

[skeetport]

i FEEL LIKE i WAS READING MY OWN LIFE STORY.  I played soccer my whole life and thru colege until I had my last ACL tear and had to have ACLR for the 3rd time.  It was over then for soccer.  But I am a very active athlete and stil was running up until the end of last summer.  I have had 3 more scopes and lateral releases, my last meniscus tear and debridement a week ago.  Yesterday when I went in for post op visit, he informed me that my ACI from 5 years ago tore and he had to remove what was left. That was my last chance at getting relief from my grade 4 damage outside of getting a partial knee replacement. He told me I have so many miles left until the inevitable and to use them wisely.  So, after getting over most of the anger, I have relented to keeping my eyes and ears open for new research and am just going to live my life and run while I can.  I am strengthening quads mega-style to alleviate some of the pressure on my knees, but refuse to quit living at 30!

I feel for you, and would ove to chat if you need to.  I know it is very difficult and frustrating to be so active and look down the road with such little hope.

[DMB]

Hi-

I am 43 and are juggling the same issues....sports my entire life.... I am currently bone on bone in the right knee (medial only) and am wrestling with the idea of a partial.  Some good days and bad.  Skied this weekend and last night and feel ok.  However, sitting today and not feeling so good.  Good luck.

[nesko]

People, sorry for my English, but have you EVER use cipro or similar drug??

This bad stuff has ruined my cartilage, and Im close to total knee replacment at my 30-ties. No one normal has OA in 30-ties or 40-ties.

Some kind off poison probably attacked on our cartilage, bat Im certain in my case this is Cipro, the most toxic drug in tha world.

Maybe you are another victim?

[mktrusty]

Hello, this is my first post to this website.  I have used it as a resource for some time though.  I am 38 years old with severe arthritis in both knees.  I have had two ACL's & 1 Faulkerson on my left knee and 1 Faulkerson on my right knee along with about 12 other arthroscopic surgeries combined on both knees.  My surgeon would like me to wait until I get older for Bi-lateral total knees, but I'm not sure I am going to make it much longer.  I am in pain with constant grinding of both knees.  I hate stairs with a passion and have 2 sets of them in my house.  It hurts to just get up & down to go to the bathroom.  It is affecting my daily life and I am struggling with telling my surgeon I can't wait any longer or just live with the pain.  I take 4 motrin at least 3-4 times a day.  I have had the shots in both knees and taken just about everything to see if I could get any relief.  I have even lost 25 pounds to see if it help with the knee pain.  I am just slightly overweight now, but I have not had any relief.

I would appreciate anyone's help & suggestions you might have.  I am having a very difficult time with this and I am becoming very depressed.

Thank you in advance for you help!!
Melinda

[UofRSpider]

I've played soccer my whole life.  About 5 months ago, I screwed up my knee.  It turned out to be a loosened bi-partite patella.  But when doc did the surgery, he said he saw damaged cartiledge[sp?] under the kneecap.  He said there's some kind of rating scale that goes 1 - 4.  He said that mine was pretty advanced for my age, and that it was in the 2 and 3 range.  I don't know what any of this means.  Apparently, once you get to 4, it's a case of bone-on-bone.  Does this merit a total knee replacement?  My understanding is that people never have total knee replacements before they are 60.  I'm very worried about this.  I do not want to stop playing soccer.  But I don't want to mess my legs up for the rest of my life.  He said it would help to strengthen my VMO, and he also performed a lateral retinacular release.  I've got a good mixture of extra weight, divided between both muscle and fat , that I could lose also.  If I stopped weight-liftiing for strength, and just did cardio activities, I could probably knock down to about 180 lbs.  (When I hurt myself I was 200 lb.  Now, 5 months later, I'm 220 b/c I decided to start lifting weights and see how big I could get before surgery.)  So now I'm a week out of the bipartite patella surgery and it looks like it is healing well.  But I'm very puzzled about what I should do concerning my pending arthritic life.  It will be very hard for me to quit playing soccer.  Should I just take as many other preventative measures as possible, and continue to play?  Has anyone else dealt with this type of cartilege damage at this age?  He said the rest of my joint looked good, but that underneath the kneecap, I had quite abit of damage....

At 34 (very athletic), I was bone to bone in my right knee, medial.  Three surgeries later I have a partial knee replacement and a lateral release (now non-athletic).  Constant pain still, some decent days, some horrible days.  OS is hoping for 9 years before revision or a TKR. Moral of this story, do everything you can to avoid surgery (and especially replacement). My first surgery should have been exploratory but the OS decided to do a procedure that went downhill from there...
I don't look at all the numbers people throw out...grade this/ size that...it all boils down to you as an individual...can you walk, can you function with the pain level that you have, do you have quality of life....those are the questions I would ask myself.
I would definately reduce my weight as Mike780 said...I currently weigh 210 and it's too heavy for me...180 makes my knee feel much better. Good luck.

[UofRSpider]

Hiya

I'm 43 had some cartilage removed in July as my knee kept swelling up/ becoming painful during badminton and after long walks  ( original injury , slipped in the gym in 1997 and tore meniscus cartilage never got it sorted out)  was told grade 4 bone on bone OS ( the worst)  in the knee cap groove and one compartment by the consultant OS when he removed the torn cartilage and cleaned the knee out . I was told I would need a knee replacement, due to his report I was placed on  temp restricted duties by our Occ Health  at work.

I'm a police officer, was scared stiff as to the prospect of drastic surgery and thought of being office based for my last years , after the operation knee felt better than before , no pain/swelling and only symptom some stiffness when going up stairs  an infrequent mild ache and unable to fully straighten the leg when lying flat, go regular to the gym and have been jogging without any problems.

I  was referred to my forces chief medical officer ( a senior doctor)  in November , and expected him to place me permanent restricted duties , he examined me for about an hour and studied my X-rays and scope pictures, he explained in plain English  my consultants post operation report and whilst I have grade 4 it is only in patches where the cartilage missing , the exposed parts are not onto each other and not likely to meet for years to come, he put me back to full duties as normal activity will not make it any worse.

Many do need a knee replacement before aged 60  but their symptoms quite severe and if you look at their surgery/injury history you see many have sustained serious knee injuries rather than just OA discovered after cartilage removal or other minor repair surgery

I suggest if you can, you obtain your X-rays/scans and would appear even if diagnosed as grade 4 doesn't mean you will be in need of a knee replacement or be incapacitated in the short term and what with advances in replacement cartilage likely that you might not need one at all. It is worth getting someone to sit down with you and explain what it all means in real terms


Also remember that by reading some of the posts from the good people on here you try to fit their symptoms and outcome to yours which in my case ended up making me more apprehensive and the worry / not knowing was causing me more problems than the knee, everyone is different and someones grade 1 with their associated problems might be more debilitating than my grade 4, the CMO told me that loads he has examined have had grade 4  some for many years with only mild-moderate symptoms of OA

I was advised to lose a couple of stone and to avoid impact sports but was told that exercise/sport the best thing I could do to build up my quads. Regarding your weight you don't have to be a rocket scientist to realise that if you are obese or seriously overweight you are putting more load on your knees and your symptoms as well as your general health likely to be bad, those who say otherwise just fooling only themselves

Will I need a knee replacement in the future? , who knows but now not worrying about it , looking forward to playing badminton next year

I worked the road for 9 years prior to my knee surgeries...there is no way I could function as a road officer with my partial knee replacement and unstable knee now...
Good attitude towards the replacement...just look to the future and take it as it comes. Good luck!

[Conemaugh]

I had the same diagnosis when I was around 21.  I  was having my 3rd knee surgery and the doctors told me my knee looked like a 60 year old.  Guess what 13 years later and I just had a tkr.  9 weeks ago and it sucks.  I think having the previous injuries are realling making this recovery tough.  I got ROM and strength but I am having lots of pain and it's 9 weeks.  How much longer will I need the lorcet?

[sheriltv]

well i had my first meniscal removal at the age of 13 on my right knee (was overweight but still performed on the athletic track, i believe that to be the reason for the meniscal tear). 15 years since then and I am back into the scene. this time i am totally lost as i am outside my home country for the last 4 weeks and still getting to know the place. totally freaked out on what to do i bumped into this forum. i am not sure if they have any proven technology for replacement of cartilage's as yet. my source is only the net and hoping to find something from this forum.

my advice to what i understand from the function of cartilage is; try to restrict yourself from sports that give you shocks (anything that converts potential energy to kinetic energy) on your knee [ jumping down stairs is much more riskier than walking up stairs]. Swimming is something I am thinking of taking up. But either way we are due for an early athritis (i know it is hard, i am finding it difficult to digest it even now).

take care but enjoy life and keep aspiring.

[mktrusty]

I am 39 now and I had my knees replaced when I was 38.  I am very thankful that I did.  I have had years of problems and surgeries.  My quality is much better now than it was before.  I believe the less you weigh the better off it is for your knees.

[lennyk]

you guys sound just like my story,

played plenty soccer
38 and a good few ops on my right knee with torn meniscus, partial acl tear.
last year had another scope and doc said i was grade 3 in the pf area
and grade 2 on the right load bearing area
he said the grade 3 is where i would eventually get problems first

sad thing is since the surgery the supposed grade 2 area has been killing me with pain. i've had to give up the soccer which i wish i had done a few years earlier