Look at Autologous Cartilage Replacement - the docs take your own cartilage, grow it, then replace it. You never need a knee replacement of the joint which are known to wear out every fifteen years, and insurance covers it. There are five places I know that do it - U.Penn with Dr. james Carey, Emory, Raleigh, and two others.

This is the Penn Place that did mine:

https://www.pennmedicine.org/for-patients-and-visitors/find-a-program-or-service/orthopaedics/programs-and-centers/cartilage-center

Here's the cartilage replacement place in Raleigh, NC:

https://www.raleighsportsmed.com/cartilage-replacement-dr-barker-orthopaedic-surgeon-cary-garner-nc.html

Under no circumstances get a partial knee replacement.

Honestly, after the 18+ surgeries my mother went through, it's better to stick to physical therapy. Knee doctors are creeps, hacks, and murderers.

Hold on. Far superior medical interventions are on the way.

Chinese medicine refer to knee problems as coming from the liver or kidneys. You would need to research. But might not apply in your case as it was an accident to your knee.but it won't harm you to research in that direction.

Look up prof Michael Levin and his work with cells.just applying low electric charge to cells can cure cancer..grow limbs..teeth..exciting work..

Also consult a naturopath and an acupuncturist who can do wonders for knee injuries. Also chiropractor as you are probably walking incorrectly to compensate. All these. On medical interventions should be tried before allowing Rockefeller center medical industrial complex near you.

Thank you all so very much!! My knee is bone on bone and my gait suffers and I am starting to feel it it my hip and back more, possibly because of the humidity, but there's no doubt my hip was affected.

I will pray about it more. My ortho said they do use robotic surgery and it has come a long way. My concern is having a son now and the possibility of developing an infection and dying from it. Before I became a mom, I would have had the surgery without batting an eye.

I truly appreciate your help. I will look into your suggestions.

Two reasons to wait:

1. Elective surgery is still a no-no. Do NOT trust hospitals/doctors to act in your self-interest.

2. On the off-side chance that the talk about med-beds is real, this is worth waiting a few more months for. I need back surgery and cataract surgery...but I'm willing to wait to see what shakes out here.

Whatever you decide, make sure it's YOUR decision. Don't be pressured by doctors or family. Surgeons make money by selling surgeries.

Get multiple opinions. If you get the surgery, find the best surgeon in the country.

Meditate (pray) about it. Fill your mind with your options and analyze them with zeal for a minute or so. Then completely clear your mind and sit in silence. Observe that you're not thinking. Then sleep on it. You'll have some new perspectives by the next day.

Simple rule that I learned as a provider. If there is still some fibrocartilage to work with, do it. If it is a situation of bone on bone, replacement is probably the only thing that will improve the situation. Whichever category you are in should determine your treatment course of action. The added concern for you is your age. The younger a person is when considering a replacement, the more likely at a later stage in life it will need to be done again simply because younger people are more active and the constant wear and tear on the joint will cause it to wear out. Honestly, I do not see any incentive within the industry to produce a longer lasting artificial joint because most of the people receiving such medical devices are older. Unless there is a large enough demand that equates to profit, there is no push to invest in development and research with the goal of extending the life of these devices.

Something else to consider. Any time the body's tissues are altered, every alteration there after is going to be degradative. More healthy tissue has to be altered or removed in order to make way for the new alteration - such as with a new replacement. Your age is the biggest drawback for considering such a move now if there are other options available for you.

Research your treatment options carefully - including the materials or prosthetic devices to be used. They are not all created equal. If you can manage to find someone within the industry willing to talk to you, such as a orthopedic surgeon, or someone in support staff such as a orthopedic nurse, pick their brains off the record. You will be amazed at the nuggets of truth you can find out that they won't tell you when you are sitting in an office. Someone on the inside will know the ins and outs of their own business better than someone on the outside that has financial incentive to promote a particular treatment modality. It should not be this way but unfortunately this is what we have to deal with - especially for someone like you that may be forced to navigate this system.

Above all, follow your gut. The Almighty placed within each one of us a little doctor or dentist. It is there to protect us. If what they are recommending to you does not resonate with what is inside, do not proceed. Do not be pressured by others or circumstances if that voice is telling you to wait or to do something else. Good luck and God bless.

Check out Ben Patrick. He's known as "knees over toes guy". He has one knee replaced and was supposed to replace the other, instead came up with great exercises to fix knee issues. https://www.amazon.ca/Knee-Ability-Zero-Ben-Patrick/dp/B09KNGDYGL

I've had both totally replaced , one at a time, in the last year, after a long wait due to the suspension of elective surgery. In that time, one of the knees went from a simple bone on bone condition to where the x-ray looked like a mortar and pestle. If you go with knee replacement, make sure that the surgeon uses robotic surgery. It is extremely precise and greatly lowers the chance it will need revision in the future. For me, the first two weeks after surgery were extremely difficult. My wife was an excellent care giver, and I needed that. Also, use a physical therapist close to your house. Long drives can become very painful. Beyond two weeks, the improvement was steady and the pain lowered every day. It took about 2 months each to get comfortable. Two months after the second knee I was able to hike in the desert around Tucson with no difficulty. Complete healing may take over a year. I wish I could have done mine sooner.

I don't know anything about it, but there's laser therapy and other out of the box treatments for pain that I hear good things about. Just an idea. I will pray for you. Long term pain is not fun to deal with. I wish you the best.

injected Ozone therapy followed later by Platelet Rich Plasma.

Give that a try before going all in on the knee replacement.

I'd wait. Long shot, the medbeds. More realistic? FDA gets gutted, AMA is disbanded, and the new systems in place will usher in a lot of new therapies. There's techniques in Europe and Japan a whole decade ahead of us precisely because of regulations. With world travel the way it is though..

Uk9994 gave some great advice in the mean time. I'd also consider magnesium and C..look into it...might help a bit. The goal is eliminate all systemic inflammation

Oh yes, one other place that does ACI or autologous cartilage implantation is in Boston:

https://www.brighamandwomens.org/medical-resources/cartilage-regeneration

While you're waiting, I'd consider taking SAMe, Glucosamine and Chondriton, Curcumin, and a few dozen other things.

Those three (and many others) have a LOT of scientific evidence for improving joint health and instead of nasty side effects, they, like most OTC natural supplements, have side-benefits instead. SAMe is a powerful liver protectant and, in slightly higher doses, an anti-depressant. Users of Glucosamine have been found to be less likely to have an early death, and Curcumin is strongly anti-cancer, anti-infammation, and good for just about every part of you.

You might need surgery regardless but I always try to avoid invasive procedures (be sure to get FULLY informed on the possible downsides if you go with surgery) and usually have a better than expected result doing so.

The SAMe and Curcumin in particular are quite variable in quality in the market; much SAMe is of low potency (containing both active and inactive isomers) and several new-ish formulations of Curcumin are far more absorbable than others. The links above are to Life Extension products; I have no financial or other connection to LE other than being a long-term customer.

LEF also has both medical and scientific advisory boards, and they publish protocols for many diseases and conditions. I don't consider these to be exhaustive but they're a good start for educating yourself about health problems. The osteoarthritis protocol might be appropriate to what you're dealing with but again: I don't know exactly how damaged your knee is, so maybe not.

https://www.lifeextension.com/protocols https://www.lifeextension.com/protocols/immune-connective-joint/osteoarthritis

Best wishes to you.

Disclaimer: Do your own research; this post is just text on a screen and it might be wrong in whole or in part.

I would find Everly good orthopedic doctor, and have conversations. And figure out what really needs to be done.

Problem with not treating a foot knee or hip injury, is that it will affect your gait, and then affect your other foot knee and hip. A lot of hip replacements are because of untreated knee and foot injuries.

Because you are young, you could end up having a hip surgery long before you’re old like most people. So this is something I would take seriously, but I would find a good orthopedic surgeon. I would do a bunch of research and figure it out.

I injured my foot about seven years ago, and I kept walking on it, because I had obligations that could not be avoided. However, once I was able… I did not have it looked at or treated.

Because of my negligence, my entire foot collapsed. I could still walk on it, but it was still very painful. This is when I started having other issues with my back and my gait, etc. if I had addressed the issue four or five years ago, I would not have had to have the surgery that I have just recently had.

I could’ve had a laser surgery, and had my foot repaired quite easily. But four weeks ago I had a fall reconstructive surgery on my foot, I have a couple screws, and a couple staples in my ankle. This is a six weeks nonweightbearing surgery. I am on week three, and I’m going mad. Three more weeks, and then I’ll be in the boot for another six weeks.

This downtime has kept me from working, and thank God for my mother because she’s the one feeding me three meals a day. It’s been quite the task to take at hand.

You’re young, and I think you’re healthy for the most part, so you think you could just keep putting it off. But I beseech you to take this seriously. Do this while you’re young and healthy, but like I said make sure you find an excellent orthopedic surgeon.

I’m 58 now, had I taken care of this at 51, it would’ve been a lot less work for me, and it would not have affected my life in such a negative manner.

Just remember that any untreated orthopedic surgery regarding your body from the waist down, can result in a hip surgery somewhere down the line. And it can affect your other knee in a negative way because it’s taking on the weight that your other knee cannot handle. The offset alone can cause back problems.

Since I had my foot surgery, on my right foot, the pain that I’ve had in my back shoulder for over a year now is completely gone. It’s really crazy, but I just realize that the other day. Once I’m done with the surgery, I can get on with my life. I can go hiking, swimming, etc.

Best wishes to you and I hope you find a solution to your problem

I see in you comment below that you starting to incur more pain in your everyday life. Welcome to getting older.

My advise is learn to embrace the pain as part of life.

I know this don't help, but as long as your hurting you know your alive.

Talk to some of the local PT's and ask them what Doctors patients recovers the best that have your type of injury.

I had a torn Meniscus left knee much much pain. Was going to get a knee replacement but doc said I should try PRP injections. (Platelet Rich Plasma). They take some of your blood and spin it up to separate the plasma. Then he injected the plasma into my knee where the pain was. It was frickin amazing after about a week most all the pain was gone and in a month none. I could go up and down stairs like I was 20. Doc said it should last about a year but it’s been more than a year and still hasn’t worn off. Before I could not squat down but now I can actually sit on my ankles without any discomfort. https://centenoschultz.com/prp-knee-injections/

More info on autologous cartilage replacement e.g. "self" cartilage sampled, grown, and replaced in the knee:

https://www.joint-surgeon.com/orthopedic-services/knee/autologous-cartilage-transplant-knee

If you have the money, stem cell treatment.

Older than you by a couple of decades. Many sports injuries, a few ACL's lost. Got to the point that my knee is not stable and will not take me through all that life has yet to offer me, so I am taking the Knee Replacement Plunge. I know there are options, I have tried several but didn't end with the knee that will take me forward.

So, to that end, wish Me luck in a couple of weeks! Actually, I am preparing for the surgery with cleansing and supplements to heal. Many things are set up for after including Frequency Specific Microcurrent (look it up, what an incredible healer)!

Good luck with your decision.

My work buddy has had two knees and one ankle replaced and he said if he had it to do over again he wouldn’t do it. He also tells me about how much pain he was in before doing it and he still says that.

Maybe you can look into alternatives?

Yours may be too far damaged now but I take pharmaceutical grade boric acid for my knee and joint pain. It has helped tremendously. My dad had both replaced and with the pain i was having I figured I would too someday. Many studies showing how effective it is for arthritis, RA, strengthening bones esp. women in menopause, perimenopause. Could help get you through.

Go the Steve Austin route. Or I guess that would be Jaime Sommers in your case.

If you get an artificial knee, try to get one that is specifically designed for women.