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NEED A NEW KNEE?
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You are not alone. Each year over 500,000 Americans receive new Knees. Over 60% are women. The numbers are growing each year, as the baby boomer generation lives longer and refuses to compromise quality of life issues such as joint pain and limited mobility. The common cry heard from all knee candidates is: “Take Away the Pain and Give me more Motion! Fortunately, if done right, today’s latest implant technology does just that. There are a multitude of implant choices, at least 150. Whether you are insured and don’t care about the cost, or you are self-pay seeking the best, most affordable option, read on and learn What You Need to Know about Total Knee Replacement. |
If you’ve found your way to KneesForMe.com, you have reached the fourth stage that patients go through on their way to accepting the need for replacement. A 2008 Kent State University research paper identifies this as the “hurting and hoping” stage where you want to feel normal again and return to activities you had to give up. Or maybe you are at stage three, “letting go and letting in.” It’s time to give up some independence and control, understand how knee replacement will improve and enhance your quality of life. There’s no better way than learning from those who have done it and can guide you through the process. That’s the reason we created KneesForMe, to help you find the best choice, the highest quality and the most affordable solution. You’ve been “putting up and putting off” too long and now you are tired of “waiting and worrying.”
| Those who have insurance or Medicare usually don’t care what hardware they receive. All they care about is “someone else is paying for it.” The reality of most joint replacement candidates is that they take the “luck of the draw” and rely on the orthopedic surgeon to make the choice. It can be good or bad! This choice sometimes depends on what hardware the hospital has available, whether purchasing got a better buy on one brand from the device maker, or the surgeon’s preference, which may be influenced by his relationship with one of the device suppliers. Do you know which state of the art knee implant “clicks” every time you take a step? |  |
If you are uninsured and self-pay or willing to self-pay because your wait is too long in Canada or the UK, the most important criteria are quality and cost.Wait times for Knee Replacement in Ontario in 2008 were over 8-months. Patients from Manitoba and Saskatchewan Provinces are the most likely to travel for joint replacement. Media reports have illustrated an alarming infection rate at Provincial hospitals. If it’s not the wait time, then serious concern should be given the infection rate. You don’t want to go through a joint replacement twice, do you? Our surgeons report less than a 1-percent infection rate and use laminar air flow and space suits to keep the rate low. The Canadian orthopedic association cannot provide any surgical referrals because under the Canada Health Act, all patients must be referred to an ortho surgeon by a family physician. Canada has a shortage of family physicians. The joys of National Healthcare!What would cost you $40 to $60 thousand in the States on a self-pay basis is available for under $10,000 including FDA approved hardware through Knees for Me and our Medical Travel experts. See http://www.iagsolutions.com/
Our founder received the Zimmer Nexgen HiFlex knee in June 2008 with exceptional results. You will see more of his experience later on this site. Over 1-million of these devices have been implanted world-wide. NexGen is the implant of choice among many top knee surgeons and ranks highly in the various joint registries in Western countries.
Those seeking a bilateral knee replacement (both knees) face severe obstacles in the US. Few surgeons will consider dual replacement in the same visit to the OR. We partner with three surgeons who all do bilateral replacements. Age, health and fitness level determine qualification for such a procedure. If you qualify, your recovery can be managed in a shorter time frame than individual replacement, which typically occurs six months apart. Two years can be compressed into one for the right candidates. Bilateral replacement is done for less than 25% of the least costly US alternative. The savings are typically $45,000 or more.
If you have a sense of adventure, like to travel and consider yourself a cut above on the intelligent design scale read on. You’ll be rewarded with a life changing experience and save at least $40,000 in the process. Be sure to request more information here on this site, qualify for a free opinion and be prepared for a rewarding, gratifying journey to better motion, less pain and an improved quality of life. Once you submit your request, qualified patients unlock the door to a wealth of specific, detailed information about our doctors, hospitals and array of accommodation options from quaint guesthouses to 5-star resort accommodations. The detail you see here is what you can expect in our follow up communication plus much more. Don’t miss out on the web’s most comprehensive Knee Replacement packages.
If the notion of exceptional doctors, new private hospitals and best outcomes is what you desire, we will make your Medical Travel journey an Oscar winning experience! And you don’t have to be a Millionaire to do it.
If you have health insurance and don’t care about the implant and what the cost is, then prepare to be a victim of your own circumstances, the health insurer, the surgeon, the hospital and the maize that is the American and Canadian healthcare system. And don’t count on getting the best knee implant for you! However, if you care about getting the best, if you want to learn more about the variety of implants and what constitutes a World Class Surgeon, read on. It’s Knee replacement for the well informed. More informed decision making leads to more control over the outcome.
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Until recently, the surgeon’s preference was frequently dictated by the level of favors and kickbacks he or she received from the company making the implant. Major US device makers recently settled with the government to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars in exchange for deferred prosecution. Financial disclosure is now a part of the equation. It’s another step on the long road to transparency in health care. The US is woefully behind most other Western countries such as Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the UK in establishing a national joint registry. Such a repository provides invaluable data to evaluate implant options and surgical protocols that provide the best patient satisfaction and outcomes. |
Previous studies have shown that 90-degrees of motion is needed to go up and down stairs. Getting up from a chair requires just slightly more motion (93 degrees). And lifting an object requires at least 117-degrees of flexion. A more recent study indicates patients with posterior cruciate-retaining TKRs had the least pain and best results when their knee flexion was 128 to 132 degrees. Stair climbing was improved with motion between 133 and 150 degrees. Standard flex knee implants usually provide up to 120 degrees of flexion. The new high flex designs provide up to 155 degrees, assuming the patient is capable of achieving this lofty flex. These movements and activities are all that are needed by most adults in a Western culture after TKR. Adults in other cultures requiring more sqattung, kneeling and sitting cross-legged need between 111 and 165 degrees of knee flexion to use these positions.
