Am I Too Young for a Knee Replacement?

When your knee joints wear out, limiting your mobility and leaving you in pain, you need treatment no matter your age. If your knees don’t allow you a comfortable, full range of motion, your quality of life and overall health suffer.

Arthritis is a common cause of knee joint issues. While it’s true that arthritis often occurs later in life, younger individuals can suffer from this chronic condition as well.

If your knee joint is too damaged by arthritis for you to maintain your quality of life, partial or total surgical knee replacement could be the best way to preserve your mobility and relieve your pain symptoms.

At the Center for Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine, experienced orthopedic and sports medicine specialist Dr. Michael L. Blackwell treats knee joint issues from locations in Tomball, Kingwood, and The Woodlands, Texas.

Could you benefit from surgical knee replacement? If you’re young, is this procedure really right for you? Consulting Dr. Blackwell helps you understand your options for restoring your knees to full and pain-free function.

Risks for knee joint damage

Knee joint issues are more common as you age, due to ongoing wear-and-tear, as well as a higher risk of osteoarthritis. 

However, you should know about some risk factors that can make your knee more prone to damage earlier in life. And, when your knee joints stop working properly, being younger doesn’t make the issue any less frustrating or restrictive.

Osteoarthritis is a leading cause of knee joint problems. Your risk of osteoarthritis goes up as a result of:

• Increased age
• Being obese or overweight
• Joint injuries
• Repetitive stress on your knees
• Bone deformities
• Being female

Some metabolic diseases also make osteoarthritis damage in your knees more likely.

For athletes, female individuals, and others who are prone to arthritis and knee damage, needing a knee replacement while at a relatively young age can be a real possibility. You should know that surgical knee replacement offers you a chance to continue using your knees for years to come!

Restoring your knee joint

When you come in with knee pain or knee joint dysfunction, Dr. Blackwell examines your condition, reviews your symptoms, and recommends the most effective treatment plan for you.

Dr. Blackwell keeps your treatment as conservative as possible, starting with approaches like physical therapy, bracing, joint injections, and medications for inflammation and pain management. 

At a certain point, however, surgical knee replacement may be the best way to address extensive or severe knee joint damage.

Dr. Blackwell performs both partial knee replacements and total knee replacements. Your treatment depends on the degree of damage to your knee joint.

During your procedure, Dr. Blackwell surgically removes damaged areas of your knee joint, replacing them with high-functioning medical-grade internal prosthetics. Dr. Blackwell uses cutting-edge Mako Robotic-Arm Assisted Technology to keep your procedure as minimally invasive and low-risk as possible.

If you’ve been losing knee joint function, no matter your age, get in touch with Dr. Blackwell at the Center for Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine today to learn more about your joint restoration options. Schedule your initial consultation by booking online or over the phone today.