Do you ever give second or third opinions about knee replacement for knee arthritis?

Do you ever give second or third opinions about whether knee replacement is necessary for knee arthritis?

We see patients every day who may have erroneously been told by other orthopedic surgeons that total knee replacement is their only option for treatment of their knee arthritis. Probably half of all our appointments are patients who want to ensure that there is no other option than replacing the knee-and sometimes there is not, but that’s generally the minority of cases. That concerns us because we have seen unanticipated complications arise in the setting of total knee replacement even in the best of circumstances. Some of the complications can be devastating and approximately 20% of patients who undergo knee replacement are not satisfied with their surgery for one reason or the other. With stakes so high in the setting of knee arthritis, it just makes sense to try everything else available that could help prior to embarking on a knee replacement. Unfortunately, the downside is that insurance plans haven’t caught up to technology and unless you have TriCare® or military insurance, there can be out of pocket expenses that aren’t covered. If insurance covered orthopedic immunobiologics like PRP (platelet rich plasma) and ABMAC (autologous bone marrow aspirate concentrate), we think everyone would opt for the truly minimally invasive procedure and limited recovery times required for our procedures.

We have proven through clinical research that both platelet rich plasma and autologous bone marrow concentrate play a role in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis and put off the need for knee replacement, often for more than five years, in particular for ABMAC. These findings have been verified in the scientific literature by many other doctors who have picked up on the technology since we introduced the techniques in 2006. In fact, since we introduced the techniques in 2006 and wrote the first clinical protocols available, over 900 clinics in the US have sprouted, making claims to offer what we do, although our treatments are unique and remain at the leading edge of immunobiologic therapies like platelet rich plasma (PRP) and autologous bone marrow concentrate (ABMAC).

We encourage all of our patients to get multiple opinions from other doctors who are experts in arthritis and orthopedics so they have the full complement of information when it comes to making choices about their healthcare. We are happy to review your case and your images and let you know what our opinion is and we are happy to refer you to other experts. Our opinion is yours to do what you want with. You can count on it being accurate, fair and honest. Just because we see a patient with arthritis doesn’t mean that they are necessarily the best candidates for our procedure. Based on our extensive experience and research, we know who is and who is not a good candidate for our procedures and make appropriate referrals to the best knee surgeons locally and nationally in each setting when joint replacement is indicated. There’s nothing to lose and everything to gain. If you or your parents are contemplating joint surgery, make sure you’re getting all of the information you need to give informed consent no matter what you elect to do.