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Revision Knee Replacement
We are so pleased to share this interview from The Bee’s Knees Podcast and KNEE RADIO 1. Podcast host Mary Elliott interviews Sarah Lisieki, an RN in Michigan, about her 20-year journey back to mobility.
Sarah’s 20-Year Journey
As you will hear in the interview above, Sarah’s trouble started with a running injury as she was preparing for a potential Olympic bid. A timeline for Sarah’s knee trouble and eventual revision knee replacement.
- Running Injury at Age 19
- “Countless” Arthroscopies (10+)
- Total Knee Replacement 2014
- Revision Knee Replacement Spring 2020
- Rehab and Recovery Summer 2020
- Update 2024: Sarah lives a healthy and happy life in Michigan
Dr. Robert Ference
Dr. Robert Ference performs approximately 1,000 minimally invasive knee replacement surgeries every year.
To learn more about Dr. Robert Ference and his surgery practice in Southeast Michigan, click here: Great Orthopedic Surgeons
What is a Revision TKA?
Revision Knee Replacement means that part or all of your previous knee replacement needs to be revised. This operation varies from very minor adjustments to massive operations replacing significant amounts of bone. The typical knee replacement replaces the ends of the femur (thigh bone) and tibia (shin bone) with plastic inserted between them and usually the patella (knee cap).
Causes for a Revision
Pain is the primary reason for revision. Usually the cause is clear but not always. Knees without an obvious cause for pain in general do not do as well after surgery.
Plastic (polyethylene) wear – This is one of the easier revisions where only the plastic insert is changed.
Instability – This means the knee is not stable and may be giving way or not feel safe when you walk.
Loosening of either the femoral, tibial or patella component – This usually presents as pain but may be asymptomatic. It is for this reason why you must have your joint followed up for life as there can be changes on X-ray that indicate that the knee should be revised despite having no symptoms.
Infection – usually presents as pain but may present as swelling or an acute fever.
Osteolysis (bone loss). This can occur due to particles being released into the knee joint which results in bone being destroyed.
Stiffness – This is difficult to improve with revision but can be improved with the frequent by not painful PT provided by the X10.
KNEE RADIO 1 (powered by The Bee’s Knees Podcast)
This interview is available exclusively on The Bee’s Knees Podcast and on KNEE Radio 1, a new radio station engineered to help the millions of knee surgery patients each year. You can listen to KNEE RADIO 1 right here: KNEE RADIO 1
The X10 Meta-Blog
We call it a “Meta-Blog.” We step back and give you a broad perspective on all aspects of knee health as with this article on ‘Revision Knee Replacement (Sarah’s 20 Year Journey Back)’.
In this one-of-a-kind blog we gather together great thinkers, doers, and writers. All our work is related to Knee Surgery, Recovery, Preparation, Care, Success and Failure. Meet physical therapists, coaches, surgeons, patients, and as many smart people as we can gather to create useful articles for you. This is for you if you have a surgery upcoming, or in the rear-view mirror. Or maybe you just want to take care of your knees to avoid surgery. Executive Editor: PJ Ewing
To subscribe to the blog click here.
Two resources for you below to help with knee replacement pain management. Both are email series that we created to help those who need some additional thinking for pre-surgery and post-surgery.