Presidents do a lot of walking, from photo ops to those near-daily strolls to Marine One. Now one former president has joined the ranks of hundreds of thousands of Americans who every year undergo knee replacement surgery. George W. Bush recently traveled to Chicago for a procedure that has become extremely common among mature athletes and seniors alike: knee replacement surgery.

The procedure involves customizing and fitting a synthetic high grade metal joint to replace one that may have been ravaged by aging cartilage and damaged bones. Although orthopedic surgeons have refined this procedure over the years, it still remains an option of last resort, especially given the many new and developing techniques to control knee pain.  Although some surgeons have opted to focus their practice on only doing joint replacement, the more deft sports medicine surgeon is able to customize treatment measures to a unique patient’s situation.  The armamentarium of treatment options entails specialized injections (HA and PRP), arthroscopic cartilage restoration procedures (microfracture,  ACI [autologous cartilage implantation], osteochondral allografts), partial joint replacement of various types, and total knee replacement.  It is important that every patient make an educated choice and not rush into things.  Seek a second opinion.  But if you must go forward with knee replacement, it is worth noting that the prognosis has improved drastically:

Ford added that it was not a new injury and that Bush was “up walking around and even went up and down a flight of stairs just a couple hours after the procedure.”

With proper planning by both surgeon and patient, recovery from knee surgery can be optimized and occur quickly.  If you have knee pain and want to learn more about your options, please contact my San Diego orthopedic knee surgery offices today.