 Poster: A snowHead
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JT, The vast majority of NHS consultants are more than competent at what they do. This is more than can be said for >95% of the countries on this planet. The standard is much less consistent in the US, Spain, Italy, Greece etc amongst the Western nations alone. Anyway, I don't see how an orthodontist would have much professional insight into knee surgery. I suspect all he'll have is hearsay. 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Kramer, slikedges, My dad is positively bionic! (2 hips and a knee) and does not propose to ski again (although it's his only interest). The knee has not, in fact, been hugely successful but I think that's more to do with obesity, failure to exercise and so on as the surgeons' work.
My comments were largely due to treatment of my mum at the 2 local NHS hospitals. OK the RUH in Bath was bottom of the league to 2 years ......... but to leave elderly, blind patients for 4 hours, without their hearing aids (therefore deaf as well), without checking on them is poor. If the elderly (in these hospitals) can't remember about the buzzer, I'll leave you to think of the horrible and humiliating conditions these patients may have to endure. (and it's not just my mum but also the other patients in the same ward) She had a partial hip replacement 2 years ago, and this lack of supervision left her with a dislocated hip for hours before she was discovered. Consequence - 2 general anasthetics in 36 hours, and she nearly died. Now I would have made a fuss, but that generation just endure.
I know this is off topic, and sorry, but felt I had to explain where I was coming from.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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easiski, I sympathise. I'm not an apologist for the NHS. I think it could definitely do a lot better in almost every way. What you describe is headline-making stuff and so it should be. It is quite uncivilised to have this sort of thing happen anywhere, let alone here. We should all be even more ashamed when the victims are the more vulnerable members of our society. The resources should be available given the level of funding but the money doesn't get down to where it's needed. It makes me angry. I am only relieved she made it ok.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Kramer,
I think we all appreciate the pressures that NHS practitioners work under, and that the policies and dictats of NHS bureaucrats do not reflect the quality of the people who really make the NHS work. Thank you for the advice - it is consistant with what he was told prior to his operation.
We took him skiing for his 70th birthday present and he was struggling then, particularly in flat light, but it has given us a wonderful memory of repaying the countless times that he and my mother took me skiing as a child. He held off having an operation for as long as possible, and regardless of whether he has been given the best knee or not, it has still led to an improved quality of life and less pain. That is the important thing, being able to ski would be icing on the cake.
My Dad sails as well. He's going to find out if he can still do that. Have a great holiday in Split.
Thanks to all of you for your advice and opinions.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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slikedges,
I am sure they are, but maybe the point he was making was that some people are more gifted than others in certain fields.
The way he put it was, he was offered someone who was regarded as the best in the county. He said he wanted better than that. What he will have to pay for that I have no idea..
I, myself, am quite happy at the standards of practioner in the NHS...from what I have experienced, it is the working conditions I have concerns about, and I have no doubt it is generally superior to most in the western world as you say.
In view of all this I would think he would be working on a bit more than hearsay.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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A GP aquaintance of ours had recently spent weeks in hospital after falling on the stairs. His prosthetic hip dislocated and shattered his femur. He spent 3 days in agony due to the swelling before they could operate. The new prosthesis reaches almost down to his knee,and has so far been too unfit to return to work . So it's not just skiing thats risky.
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slikedges,
I understand that some ops are routine and can be pretty brutal and basic in the implemention of.
A bit like carpentry in terms of splicing the bone etc but I don't know anyone who has actually had a knee op, - plenty of hips and shoulders etc - but the body does not appear to respond like cars or wood where you can rip it out and start again. Depends what the degree of success is judged on ..can you walk on it, free of pain? That sounds like success to me but I don't know what is reasonable to expect. It is obviously a difficult operation otherwise we wouldn't have the stories on this thread. And I do know of
quite a few people who have had huge problems with basic cartlidge problems of the knee, probably most which predate key hole, I think though.
So the issue appears to be one of reasonable/unreasonable expectation.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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I would think there is little to no research into this area. www.pubmed.com put in TKR, Skiing ect
"He has an increased risk of fracturing around his prosthetic knee joint"
"If he did fracture around the joint, repairing the fracture would be complex, and risky"
Primary knee replacements are always easier than revisions.
So the answer is do not ski.
But
If you are prepered to take a risk that you will not be able to walk again and have pain all the time then go skiing.
If you are to go skiing again then LOTS and Lots of Rehab. Proprecepttion (balance work +++++) ham and quids swimming ect. if you think it takes a year for an ACLR anterior crucute ligament reconstruction to get back to sking and a TKR has No ligament stability its going to be hard work. If it an Unilateral knee replacement you will have the ligment stability.
so in a nut shell: yes you can ski IF you are prepared to take the risk. Is the risk worth it? well you are the only one who will know. Would I? ask me in 30 years time.
Also TKR and THR are done for pain releif not for mobility or function.
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Welcome to SnowHeads david 1664, a great year for beer, a bad year for skiing. I totally agree with your points. My mother has had both knees replaced. The sole reason for this was that the pain had become unbearable. She has also had 3 hip replacements. Why anyone should want to ski after knee or hip replacement is beyond my comprehension. The risks are simply too great. My Mum had one hip done again after she loosened it when she tripped over in a car park. The risk of falling on a ski holiday is too high, know when to stop.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Frosty the Snowman a friend of ours who is obviously prepared to take risks, has had surgery on both his ankles (they are now both fused at an angle which still allows him to ski, but he doesn't half walk funny), and a recent hip replacement (a Birmingham variety, so less risky for skiing). personally I wouldn't ski afterwards, but he fully intends to.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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they are now both fused at an angle which still allows him to ski
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Helen Beaumont, Now that is dedication. How does he get his boots on 
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david 1664,
That sounds like a well informed opinion. Welcome to Snowheads and thankyou.
To both you and Frosty the Snowman
. The point is that my Father just wants to know whether he can ski or not. He's quite prepared to have a go on Snowshoes/Langlauf.
He's just found information hard to come by, probably because as david 1664 points out, there seems to be little to no research in this area.
The sensible answer on the evidence here (anecdotal and otherwise) is to not risk it.
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You know it makes sense.
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Frosty the Snowman, with difficulty, although he has bought a really forgiving, flexible soft boot since they became available.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Dave J, I admire your old mans passion for his sports, best of luck whatever he decides.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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slikedges, Wouldn't he get cold feet then? 
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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easiski, it'd be fine - he wouldn't be able to feel them
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FAQ
