A word about pain

I have looked at lots of sites on the internet about knee replacement, and found one where a woman who had knee replacement scheduled seemed overwhelmed worrying about the pain. Many people had responded to her to reassure her about pain management, but she still seemed so focused and fearful about the pain of surgery. That has prompted this post.

First of all, how many people do you know who undergo knee replacement surgery because they thought it would offer significant improvement in their minor knee pain? I'm sure your answer was "no one." The reason people schedule a knee replacement is because the pain and restriction of movement of the affected knee has greatly impacted their daily living to the point where they seek relief from this. I have talked with many friends and relatives who have delayed knee replacement and lived with constant pain because of this fear. One hundred per cent have said after knee replacement that they wished they had done it sooner. The longer you delay knee replacement because of fear of pain, the greater the chances are that you will have greater damage to your knee.

Does knee replacement surgery involve pain? Yes, it does. Does physical therapy involve pain? Yes, it does. Will this pain gradually decrease as you heal? Yes, it will. If you do not have knee replacement on a damaged knee, will it involve pain? Yes, it will. Will this pain gradually decrease? No, it won't. So, if you are one of many who are postponing surgery because of the fear of pain, you are probably just postponing the inevitable. At some point, you will undergo the surgery because you are unwilling to live with the pain. Why keep putting it off? If knee pain gets to a point where it impacts your lifestyle and you have one or more doctors' opinions that you would benefit from knee surgery, bite the bullet and go for it. I know I'm glad I did.