|
Nancy Strk - Partial Knee
Replacement
Please be patient, a small ad precedes the video.
Link
http://www.newszoom.com/search/read/knee+replacement/knee_replacement/4/02/
Mar 4, 2008
Nancy Strk is a teacher assistant on Long Island. A fall during a
trip to Croatia with her husband in 2006 left her with a badly
injured knee. She had arthroscopic surgery, but her knee only got
worse.
"I was in pain 24/7. When I stood up, my knee often buckled, and I
felt like I was going to fall," explains Nancy, who’s in her fifties
and lives in New Hyde Park. She decided to consult with another
doctor and was taken aback when he recommended a total knee
replacement.
"As soon as he said 'total knee replacement' I decided to go to the
Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan for another opinion,"
Nancy explains. "My mother had her knee replaced there about 10
years ago and did well." A colleague at her school gave Nancy the
name of an orthopedic surgeon at the hospital. The teacher spoke
highly of Dr. Geoffrey Westrich, who had helped her with a knee
problem, and Nancy went to see him.
As it turns out, Nancy’s original knee injury, diagnosed as a torn
medial meniscus, had led to bone damage and arthritis. The medial
meniscus is the crescent-shaped cartilage in the inner part of the
knee joint that cushions the bones. Dr. Westrich, Co-Director of
Joint Replacement Research and an Associate Professor of Orthopedic
Surgery, told Nancy that since the damage was limited to the inner
area of her knee and did not affect the entire joint, total knee
replacement wasn’t necessary. She could have a partial knee
replacement, a newer procedure that’s much less invasive and easier
on the patient.
The less extensive operation, also called a "unicompartmental" knee
replacement, is appropriate for patients whose arthritis is limited
to just one area of their knee. But the right diagnosis is key.
"Patients who qualify for a partial joint replacement experience
less pain right after surgery, have a quicker recovery and
rehabilitation, and have a shorter hospital stay," Dr. Westrich
says. "Yet the procedure completely relieves arthritis pain and
allows patients to return to activities they were forced to give
up." Another advantage is that it preserves the normal bone and
cartilage in the rest of the knee that would typically be replaced
in a total joint procedure, according to Dr. Westrich, who also sees
patients at an office in Fresh Meadows, Queens.
As the knees of active baby boomers and "weekend warrior" athletes
start to wear out, he’s seeing more candidates for the less invasive
procedure. Generally, these patients are younger than those needing
a total joint replacement, and many are eager to return to athletic
activities.
To qualify for a partial joint replacement, the arthritis must be
confined to a limited area. The knee has three compartments –
medial, lateral and patellofemoral (kneecap region) – and arthritis
can involve one, two or all three areas. One would be a candidate
for a partial joint replacement if only the inner (medial) or outer
(lateral) part of the knee is damaged. Patients whose arthritis is
widespread would need a total joint replacement.
Nancy Strk, whose problem was limited to the inner part of her knee,
was a perfect candidate for a partial joint replacement. "My knee is
doing great, and I feel like a new person," she says. Before the
surgery, she wondered if she would sense a foreign object in her
knee, but she says it feels completely natural. Just one day after
the operation, she was able to put weight on her knee and walk
around.
"I have 100 percent range of motion, and no pain. I can climb the
stairs into my attic, take walks with my husband, and my
granddaughter is so happy I can pick her up again." Nancy will soon
return to work and plans to take the stairs when she travels from
classroom to classroom as a teacher assistant.
"If people are having trouble with their knees and a doctor
recommends total knee replacement, they should go for a second
opinion," Nancy advises. "I went to Dr. Westrich and it turned out I
could have a partial knee replacement, which was much better."
|
|