[bobw123]

I am a retired 73 y/o retired Doctor of Chiropractic.
My wife and I have had continuing degenerative knees and backs, & both of one of our knees were bone on bone with little cartiledge left. We had been on glucosamine/chondroiten for years. Adjustments of the spine and knees, then 3 years ago started Cortisone injections, hyloranic gel shots, and then resorted to PRP plasma rich protien which uses your own blood plasma to try to stimulate your own stem cells. But that and stem cell therapy is not covered by insurance, and both are very expensive. I also then tried Soft shock therapy which is also not covered by insurance, and gave me temporary relief. However the knees for us continued to be a constant worsoning source of agony, so my knee surgeon thought a reconstruction, repair of my dminiscus, and patella would help. It did but I still have chronic pain upon movement and activity, but much less than before. So after an extremly successful hip replacement from the side, where they did not have to cut into muscle ligament tendon or bone, and I was back golfing in 4 weeks and playing sports again, my wife could not bear the pain in her knee any longer. So I researched again, and found Dr. Nguen and his team of Doctors in the optimotion group who invented the technique of doing a short Lateral from the side knee replacement that had a much shorter recovery and much less pain! No one in Atlanta or anywhere else that I searched was trained in that approach, so we came back to the Villages and my wife had it done. She walked immediately after the surgery and on the 2nd day did not need a cane or a walker! Normal range of motion goals is to have PT and get to 125 degrees of flexion. Most patients are lucky to get to 90 within 4 weeks. Carol was there within a week, and is now at full range of motion! Can squat, get on her knees and golfed with me at the 4th week! Friends of ours had the optimotion group and golfed after 1-2 weeks! Carol was overly cautious. At her pre-op consult I also had a consult and was advised to leave my operated knee alone and that there was not enough deteriozation in my right knee to advise a replacement as it just occassionaly gives out. So when I can afford it, I will spend $20,000 plus for stem cell injections of 100 BILLION stem cell into both knees and a transfusion of 200 billion that will affect all throughout the body including my spine and organs. Good luck in your decisions, I'm just giving you our history! And as an aside, when I had 4 herniated discs and djd degenerative disc disease, and stenosis, and could not walk after a 70 mile/hour rear end collision, I did everything again and a failed back surgery that made it worse, and then discovered IDD internal disc decompression, a machine that increases, rehydrates and takes the pressure off the nerves from the discs. It got me walking, pain free again and put a golf club back into my hands. And I specialized in that until I retired! Now I keep my original machine in my home in Kennesaw Ga, and if I bend wrong, put the tee in the ground, cough or sneeze and get symptomatic again, my wife puts me on my table and 4 days later am back doing the things I could not do for 40 years! I always told my patients IF you could do natural 1st, drugs 2nd and surgery LAST. Do that before you decide on invasive procedures. Good luck