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Return to Golf After Total Knee
A common question, expecially in Westchester County, NY, where there are more golf courses than there are Emergency Room beds, is when can a patient return to golf after a knee replacement. It really depends on a few things:
As a serious, national proponent of partial, minimally invasive knee replacements (www.walkandmove.com) return to activity is a most persuasive argument for only replacing the part of the knee that is diseased.
A partial knee replacement allows you to maintain the important knee ligaments which are totally removed in a total knee replacement. Aside from a remarkably rapid return to function, the level of function in a partial knee is superior.
The function of total knee replacement is OK- like a Toyota Corolla. The function of a partial knee is superior- like a Lexus. That an analogy I use for my patients. Surgeons who generally do not recommend partial do that because they do not have the skill or experience to implant a partial. You need to see someone who performs both- REGULARLY.
Patients do heal at different rates. In reviewing my long term results of a consecutive series of over 225 partial knee replacements I performed (50 of the patients had bilateral partial knee replacements), I found that by 3 weeks, a high percentage were able to drive a car- not a 3 wood- this took close to 6 weeks. Total knee replacements took almost 3 -6 months.
If you define returning to golf as doing 9 holes, with a cart, non-competitive- you can return early- (3 weeks). If you are looking to be club champion- look to 4-6 months.
Dr. K.
Related Topics: Is Knee Pain Limiting Your Life?, (WebMD Video) Joint Camp: Where Boomers Get Knees, Hips Replaced
Technorati Tags: golf, knee replacement
A common question, expecially in Westchester County, NY, where there are more golf courses than there are Emergency Room beds, is when can a patient return to golf after a knee replacement. It really depends on a few things:
- What type of knee replacement you received- Partial (uni) or total
- Your response to healing
- Your definition of a return to golf
As a serious, national proponent of partial, minimally invasive knee replacements (www.walkandmove.com) return to activity is a most persuasive argument for only replacing the part of the knee that is diseased.
A partial knee replacement allows you to maintain the important knee ligaments which are totally removed in a total knee replacement. Aside from a remarkably rapid return to function, the level of function in a partial knee is superior.
The function of total knee replacement is OK- like a Toyota Corolla. The function of a partial knee is superior- like a Lexus. That an analogy I use for my patients. Surgeons who generally do not recommend partial do that because they do not have the skill or experience to implant a partial. You need to see someone who performs both- REGULARLY.
Patients do heal at different rates. In reviewing my long term results of a consecutive series of over 225 partial knee replacements I performed (50 of the patients had bilateral partial knee replacements), I found that by 3 weeks, a high percentage were able to drive a car- not a 3 wood- this took close to 6 weeks. Total knee replacements took almost 3 -6 months.
If you define returning to golf as doing 9 holes, with a cart, non-competitive- you can return early- (3 weeks). If you are looking to be club champion- look to 4-6 months.
Dr. K.
Related Topics: Is Knee Pain Limiting Your Life?, (WebMD Video) Joint Camp: Where Boomers Get Knees, Hips Replaced
Technorati Tags: golf, knee replacement
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