bad knee cartilage wear and tear...

[hjr]

Hello,  I am new to this forum and writing on behalf of my mum who has had knee cartilage wear and tear for years.  It has recently got much worse and it is terrible to see her mobility reduced.  She is 75 but seems much younger, she used to play a lot of hockey and was a PE teacher. Now she really misses going for walks and being able to do her gardening while kneeling. Can anyone advise me on how she can reverse this problem?  I read on internet about treatments in the USA involving irritant injections, or ways of growing one's own cartilage and then replacing it.  Can these things be done in the UK and do they work?  Thanks for your help.

[luckygrandma]

Hello,  I am new to this forum and writing on behalf of my mum who has had knee cartilage wear and tear for years.  It has recently got much worse and it is terrible to see her mobility reduced.  She is 75 but seems much younger, she used to play a lot of hockey and was a PE teacher. Now she really misses going for walks and being able to do her gardening while kneeling. Can anyone advise me on how she can reverse this problem?  I read on internet about treatments in the USA involving irritant injections, or ways of growing one's own cartilage and then replacing it.  Can these things be done in the UK and do they work?  Thanks for your help.

There is no scientific evidence that you can regrow cartilage. If that were true TKR would never be. They are because of bone on bone pain due to wearing and tearing of the cartilage. It sounds to me like your Mother should be considering Total Knee Replacement. If she has had that many operations for torn cartilage then she is probalby bone on bone pain now and nothing can be done. It is said there are some over-the-couter drugs that can slow the process down or keep you from tearing it but this is not a fast fix. You need to take these drugs for years and at your mother's age I doubt if they would do any good. Get a good Othoopedic surgein and see what he says. She needs x-rays and an MRI.

[Natalie.D]

Hi,

There is something called autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) which is where they take a piece of healthy cartilage, culture it in a lab then re-implant - I don't know very much about it but if you look down at the section on arthritis you should find something on it.  I'm not sure if they do it in the UK and if there are any age restrictions or severity of damage etc on this procedure, hopefully someone on that section of the board can tell you more.

Has your mother been to see an OS?  There may be other things available to her depending on how badly her OA has progressed, if not, it may be worthwhile her making an appointment to see what her options are.  Good luck.

Natalie.

[pxs]

before trying any surgical options, your mom might want to look into joint fluid injections; many people are getting dramatic relief from this. the joint fluid (various products with hylauronic acid) cushions and lubricates joints with degenerated cartilage.  look at the 'injections into the joint" part of the board and she might want to discuss this with her dr.

[emphatic]

Unfortunately, at age 75, she is not a candidate for ACI. Any other options are only palliative, at best. Her best bet would be a total knee replacement. It sounds as though she's in good health otherwise. Her age and the condition of her knee make her a prime condidate for the TKR -- that very operation was "invented" with her situation in mind!

People with primary osteoarthritis and no other health issues usually do extremely well with a joint replacement. Most of the time, they are kicking themselves that they didn't do it 5-10 years earlier!

Lots of information on knee replacement is available on the Total Knee Replacement board, under the Arthritis section:
http://www.kneeguru.co.uk/KNEEtalk/index.php?board=37.0

I wish her luck!

Meg

[hjr]

thanks for your replies, the last one was very helpful.  Is it possible to get a TKR on the NHS?  I am completely ignorant of how this all works. 

[Natalie.D]

Yes, you can get a TKR on the NHS but there is usually a fairly long waiting list (6 - 9 months) depending on whereabouts in the UK you are.  My dad just had one done (he's 63) and is doing fantastic with it, he's on the list to get his other knee done next year.

Natalie.