A recent study published the the journal Arthritis & Rheumatology found that 1/3 of total knee replacements (TKR) are unnecessary and medically inappropriate while another 22% are questionable. That means only 44% of total knee replacements were appropriate!
 "PTG P". Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons |  "Knee Replacement" by User:Ravedave - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons |
Why are so many total knee replacements (TKR) being performed by doctors in the United States every year?
The human knee joint is both a pretty complicated and a fairly simple joint at the same time. The knee joint is the interaction of 4 bones (femur, tibia, patella, and fibula), 15 muscles, 19 ligaments, menisci, joint capsule, fascia and other connective tissues, blood vessels, nerves, and the environment. That sounds pretty complicated but their collective job is to allow the very simple action of flexion and extension of the tibiofemoral joint (a modified hinge joint) with a little leverage help from the patellofemoral joint (gliding joint) and limited rotation. The knee joint is the transmission between the powerful engine (the hips) and the wheels (the ankles and feet).
Knee pain and injuries like meniscus tears, ACL tears, osteoarthritis, patellofemoral pain syndrome, etc are not caused because the transmission (the knee joint) is faulty and only built for a limited number of miles/years, but rather that the engine (hip), transmission (knee), and wheels (ankles/feet) are not communicating and working together as a team.
A total knee replacement (TKR) does nothing about tuning the engine or aligning the wheels and just throws a new transmission in place. Then we wonder why the new transmission goes out several years later! Let me repeat that: A total knee replacement does nothing about the cause of the knee pain. The body works as a unit, and unless and until we create a good working relationship between all parts of the body, we can't expect the body to work efficiently or effectively.
I've worked with many clients who:
All of these are examples of treating the symptom of knee pain or damage and ignoring the underlying cause of the problem. These could all be classified as unnecessary, inappropriate, and unsuccessful surgeries. Every one of these outcomes improved greatly after doing Postural Alignment Therapy to address the entire body and the postural, muscular, and movement imbalances that were responsible for both the original knee pain and subsequent issues.
If you are looking at getting a knee replacement or have had a knee replacement and are still dealing with pain or limitations, contact me today and I'd be happy to do a free posture evaluation and consultation with you. I will help you understand why you are in pain and how to become pain free.
The human knee joint is both a pretty complicated and a fairly simple joint at the same time. The knee joint is the interaction of 4 bones (femur, tibia, patella, and fibula), 15 muscles, 19 ligaments, menisci, joint capsule, fascia and other connective tissues, blood vessels, nerves, and the environment. That sounds pretty complicated but their collective job is to allow the very simple action of flexion and extension of the tibiofemoral joint (a modified hinge joint) with a little leverage help from the patellofemoral joint (gliding joint) and limited rotation. The knee joint is the transmission between the powerful engine (the hips) and the wheels (the ankles and feet).
Knee pain and injuries like meniscus tears, ACL tears, osteoarthritis, patellofemoral pain syndrome, etc are not caused because the transmission (the knee joint) is faulty and only built for a limited number of miles/years, but rather that the engine (hip), transmission (knee), and wheels (ankles/feet) are not communicating and working together as a team.
A total knee replacement (TKR) does nothing about tuning the engine or aligning the wheels and just throws a new transmission in place. Then we wonder why the new transmission goes out several years later! Let me repeat that: A total knee replacement does nothing about the cause of the knee pain. The body works as a unit, and unless and until we create a good working relationship between all parts of the body, we can't expect the body to work efficiently or effectively.
I've worked with many clients who:
- had knee pain and were told they need a knee replacement only to come out of surgery still suffering from knee pain - obviously the knee joint wasn't the problem
- had a knee replacement and soon after developed hip pain and ended up with a hip replacement
- several years after getting a joint replacement had the joint "fail" and had to have a revision surgery
- after undergoing knee replacement surgery did not regain their strength, balance, or mobility
All of these are examples of treating the symptom of knee pain or damage and ignoring the underlying cause of the problem. These could all be classified as unnecessary, inappropriate, and unsuccessful surgeries. Every one of these outcomes improved greatly after doing Postural Alignment Therapy to address the entire body and the postural, muscular, and movement imbalances that were responsible for both the original knee pain and subsequent issues.
If you are looking at getting a knee replacement or have had a knee replacement and are still dealing with pain or limitations, contact me today and I'd be happy to do a free posture evaluation and consultation with you. I will help you understand why you are in pain and how to become pain free.
Related articles/videos:
Meniscus surgery ineffective
Knee joint osteoarthritis
Patellofemoral pain syndrome
Surgeries to avoid
Meniscus surgery ineffective
Knee joint osteoarthritis
Patellofemoral pain syndrome
Surgeries to avoid
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