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3 Reasons To Avoid – Or Delay –

Knee-Replacement Surgery

Hitting your 50s or 60s can bring several life changes, and increasingly those include artificial joints. For much of the aging U.S. population, knees in particular are wearing out.

More than 600,000 knee replacements are performed annually in the U.S., according to The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery. That number is expected to swell to 3 million by the year 2030, the publication’s study reported, partly because people are working longer and obesity is on the rise.

But while knee replacements are becoming a popular elective surgery, some studies estimate 20 percent or more of recipients aren’t pleased with the result. Medical experts question whether replacement surgery is being done too soon – or whether some people need a new knee at all.

“Surgery should only be done as a last resort,” says Dr. Victor Romano (www.romanomd.com), an orthopedist and author of Finding The Source: Maximizing Your Results – With and Without Orthopaedic Surgery. “A knee replacement can be life-changing, but they can also be painful, wear down prematurely and become infected.

“If you have debilitating pain and difficulty walking because of degenerative arthritis, surgery may be your best option no matter your age. Otherwise, there are sound reasons to avoid a knee replacement, or at least to postpone it until a more appropriate time.”

Romano says there are three main reasons to avoid or put off knee replacement surgery:

• Plastic debris. A total knee replacement consists of metal moving on plastic. The plastic wears down over time, and that can be a pain – physically and financially – to patients who may have to get the prosthesis replaced once, twice or more. “The plastic debris accumulates in the knee joint,” Romano says. “The more active you are, the heavier you are, the more debris. The white cells, which attack foreign invaders, start attacking the surrounding bone. When it’s time to replace the plastic joint, we also have to replace the bone – and that’s a significant and unpleasant surgery.”
• A prosthesis doesn’t last 30 years. This is a key reason why Romano thinks younger replacement candidates should wait as long as possible. “A total joint replacement in a 70-year-old patient will typically last 15 years,” Romano says. “With the average life expectancy being 85, chances are this would be the only knee replacement that patient would need. But for a 40-year-old who’s more active, it may only last 10 years. And remember, recovery is challenging. So it’s better to wait for technology to catch up. As it does, the better the knee replacements will be.”

• Other remedies may work. Many people experiencing chronic knee pain are overweight or obese. “A healthy diet and exercise program can bring the weight down and take pressure off the knees,” Romano says. “Also, a hinged knee brace, supplements that aid in repairing worn cartilage, and injections such as cortisone or hyaluronic acid could reduce pain and restore quality of life.”

“There are ways to at least buy time,” Romano says. “And there are patients who were told they needed a knee replacement, but with conservative therapy options, happily discovered otherwise and returned to their favorite activities without pain.”

About Dr. Victor Romano

Dr. Victor Romano (www.romanomd.com) is an orthopedic surgeon in Oak Park, Ill.,

and the author of Finding The Source: Maximizing Your Results – With and Without

Orthopaedic Surgery. He is board-certified in orthopedics and sports medicine with

over 25 years of experience in the field. He graduated cum laude from the University of

Notre Dame and completed medical school at the University of Loyola-Chicago.

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The Penny Serfs

Latest Album

Politics in the Time of Heroin

Out Now

Available for Review

Streaming on Spotify & Apple Music

Le Claire, IA - October 22, 2018 - Founded sometime in late 2012, The Penny Serfs are back with the emotionally charged LP Politics in the Time of Heroin, the follow up to Like Eating Glass. Politics in the Time of Heroin was released on January 26th, 2018, and is now available for review. Listeners can find it on Spotify and Apple Music. For additional information, please visit: www.facebook.com/ThePennySerfs.

On the new album, the band shared: "Politics in the Time of Heroin is a fiery memorandum of the state of the world as seen by The Penny Serfs; smashed between catchy songs, and moody vibes."

After five years of cultivating the lean energy necessary for the stage, members Mikey Loy, Stu Tenold, Kyle Lewis, and Aiden Landman faced the ultimate fight: singer Mikey received life threatening injuries that jeopardized the bands very existence. After a long recovery, Mikey and the band is back stronger than ever.

Songs like "Lonely Boy" and "Don't Hug Me" explore the deep dark secrets of loneliness and depression, forcing Mikey to look directly into the mirror and access every part of his life. At the same time, they try to find meaning in the backward trending political environment that is a grotesque caricature of what being alive is suppose to be about. In the politically charged tune "Ode to Franklin D. Roosevelt," the lyrics "you sold your soul to everybody and made the whole world melancholy," is a somber truth on the division and bizarre political atmosphere in the United States.

In a climate such as now, some of us have scars, new wounds and problems to solve, but it has made the members of The Penny Serfs stronger. With every hit of the drums, Kyle Lewis is putting his heart into his music. "I have nothing left to lose," he explains.

Stu Tenold plays every key with feel and emotion, crafting musically deep layers into every song. On "Somebody Else," Stu plays an elegant piano piece giving the song the information needed to communicate the losses and insecurities most of us feel on any given day.

Bassist Aiden Landman is the glue, or "The Wizard" as some people call him on tour, locking the songs in place. Emotionally driven songs, following the inspiration of the likes of John Lennon with a twist of Kurt Cobain have given the 'Serfs a rugged edge with a vulnerability that keeps everyone, including the band members on their toes. Who knows what will happen?

Facing mortality, the band has chosen to push through the struggle and create what makes them complete: music. Music that sings of pain with loud guitars. Music that brings catharsis. The future is bright for The Penny Serfs as they stare into the darkness.

For more information, please visit:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ThePennySerfs

Twitter: www.twitter.com/ThePennySerfs

Instagram: www.instagram.com/ThePennySerfs

Love in the Time of Politics Tracklisting:

1. Lonely Boy

2. In My Room I'm on Fire

3. Religious Republicans of Rock Island County

4. Ode to Franklin D. Roosevelt

5. Somebody Else

6. Obituary for Her

7. Don't Hug Me I'm Scared

8. Suzy Turned Yellow Yesterday

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