How Effective Are Knee Replacements? Patients Tell All

A survey conducted in February 2006 by the Consumer Reports National Research Center telephoned patients who had a hip and knee replacement and asked them about their experience.  The result of the survey found that the surgery had serious complications and it did not return patients to the state of perfect mobility.  It was also discovered that while most people stopped taking their pain medication after 2 months, 12% were still taking it after 1 year.  And one quarter of the knee patients said they still could not perform the more challenging tasks of walking a half-mile as late as 1 year after the knee replacement surgery.  Five percent reported getting an infection after surgery.  Thirteen percent suffered a seriously weakened or contracted muscle that in some cases needed additional surgery to correct.  Seven percent ended up with legs of unequal length, and 5% of all patients required another operation to correct problems caused by the first one.

Of course, sometimes knee replacement surgery is the only option.  But today, surgery has too often become a risky alternative especially since large studies have demonstrated that 40% patients with signs of osteoarthritis of the knee on x-ray have been satisfied with conservative treatment.

Knee replacements last 10-20 years depending on the prosthetic used, and if you have to get it redone a second time- it isn’t very pleasant.

Ask just about anyone who has had one knee replaced and they will tell you the rehabilitation is excruciating.

I had my left knee replaced 5 years ago, and I really did not want to do that again.  The Orthopedic doctor suggested that I get surgery on my other knee.  That’s when I came to see Dr. Schnee …she explained the (Cold Laser Knee) program to me and I got started with care. I thank God everyday that I did. What a blessing.

Don M., Ovilla, TX

After all, knee replacement surgery is always an option but once you go through with it there is no turning back.  Good or bad you’re stuck with the results.

If you live in the Dallas/FortWorth Metroplex and you’re searching for an effective, safe, painless and conservative treatment to help ease your knee pain and overall improve the quality of your life then call Dr. Alexandra Schnee’s office at 214-596-1051.  Or if you’d like more information about Dr. Schnee’s Cold Laser Knee Program fill out the form on the right side of the screen and a FREE Report will be mailed to you within 72 hours.

Article by Dr. Alexandra K. Schnee, B.S.,D.C.,-Your Cold Laser Professional of the Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas Area-“Helping People with Knee Pain and Joint Pain in the Dallas/Fort Worth Area since 2001.”

Cold Laser Therapy, a Non-Drug Alternative for the Management of Chronic Pain

Unfortunately, addiction to pain killers has become a common problem throughout the United States.  It’s almost impossible to have a day go by where the news isn’t reporting of another celebrity in rehab for drug addiction.  Usually, a person will innocently start taking prescribed pain –killers as a way to help relieve chronic pain, and then overtime they become addicted and it spins out of control.  Fortunately, Cold laser therapy has long ago been proven to be a drug free, safe treatment to help relieve chronic pain.  Recently researchers in Australia have discovered that cold laser therapy has a direct effect on nerve cells by blocking the signals that transmit pain.  They found that Cold lasers create a laser induced neural blockade by affecting the flow of cellular materials down the long axon of the nerve cells. As a result, the patient experiences laser induced pain-relief.  Once again, the research proves that the application of cold laser therapy provides a drug-free, safe, and effective alternative for the management of chronic pain.

Dr. Alexandra Schnee primarily treats patients suffering with chronic knee pain due to knee surgery, arthritis, bursitis, ‘bone on bone’, tendonitis, meniscus/cartilage tears, and Baker’s Cyst’s. However, at the DFW Spine & Joint Center we have programs available that can help most conditions that cause chronic pain.  For instance, we treat musculoskeletal conditions such as low back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain, sciatica, disc and nerve problems, hip, ankle, foot, hand and wrist pain, etc… Dr. Robert Hanson, an associate at the DFW Spine & Joint Center, also offers a very successful non-surgical program that treats herniated, bulging, degenerated discs, stenosis, and pinched nerves with Cold Laser/Spinal Decompression Therapy.

If you live in the Dallas/ Fort-Worth Metroplex and would like more information about how to get rid of your chronic knee pain and Dr. Schnee’s Cold Laser Knee Program please call our office at 214-596-1051.Or fill out the form on the right hand side of this page and a FREE 16 page report about “cold laser therapy and knee pain” will be mailed to you within 72 hours.

Article by Dr. Alexandra K. Schnee, B.S.,D.C.,-Your Cold Laser Professional of the Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas Area-“Helping People with Knee Pain and Joint Pain in the Dallas/Fort Worth Area since 2001.”

Chow RT, David MA, Armati PJ.  830nm laser irradiation induces varicosity formation, reduces mitochondrial membrane potential and blocks fast axonal flow in small and medium diameter rat dorsal root ganglion neurons: implications for the analgesic effects of 830nm laser:  J Peripheral Nerve Syst. 2007 Mar; 12(1):28-39.