Hi All,
I have this urgent query about my mother who is suffering from Arthritis. Her age is 60 and she has been suffering from Arthritis in the Knee from the last 20 years or so. We have tried many options like Alopathic, Homeopathic and even Ayurvedic medicines. But none seem to do any good. With age her condition is deteriorating. She can't go for an operation i suppose due to her age. She has been bedridden for many years now and due to this she has put on weight also.
I need some professional who can give me some sound advice as to what can i do in this situation. I would be really grateful to someone who can guide me at this point.
If you yourself have been through such a situation or are aware of any treatement for this please help me.
I am from India and my phone number is 09873569448.
Email Id: gauravb@techmahindra.com, gauravbhan@gmail.com
Hi Gauravb - your mother probably needs to see a Rheumatologist, if she is not already seeing one. If not, ask her doctor for a referral.
But unless she has other conditions, I don't see that her age would preclude her from surgery. However, I am not a professional, and I think you are correct when you say you need some professional advice. However, the people on this board do have a wealth of knowledge, and I'm sure you will get more replies to your post.
Take care and I hope you find some answers for your mother.
If its a choice between being bedridden or a knee replacement I would take the risk and get the surgery but if she has been bedridden a while then her overall health could be an issue.
Can she use crutches or a wheelchair. Its not healthy for her to stay in bed all day
hi buckeye,I would do the surgery if it was me. Here in the States, people get their joints replaced at the age your Mom is.
If health is a factor preventing a joint replacement, then I would get her into her primary care physician and then an orthopedist. I am not sure how the health care system works over in India, but if she has a primary care physician that doctor can do a complete physical and assess your Mom's health for surgery. An orthopedist can provide the arrangements for physical therapy before surgery to strengthen muscles in the leg that she would have surgery one. If she is not a candidate for surgery, physical therapy can provide some relief by strenghtening those muscles. And don't worry about the bed ridden part, physical therapist work with people that are bed bound all the time.
Bottom line, we can only suggest some options for you to look at for your Mom. You, your Mom, your family, and her doctors should be the one making the choices for your Mom's health care and what to do about her knee and overall general health.
i agree with the others, if your mothers health is ok, go for it the knee replacements...60 is the new 40..i don't think 60 is old at all.....i am 58, and just had my 3rd knee replacement last year, one of them the 7 yr old one got loose....the longer you wait, to get them done, the harder the recovery..there are strengthening exercises, like tightening the knee, while on the bed, to make the thigh stronger, that even make recovery better...i had my first knee done, at age 48, and there are others that had them done younger..It's a question of being in pain 24 hour, and not being able to walk, and her quality of life..Over in the states, they usually do arthoscopic surgery first, which did not help me, and then the MRI is really first..Hope your mom feels better....i have my life back with my knees