More Background

In 1999 I met with my orthopedic surgeon, the first time since my knee surgery 15 years earlier.  He took x-rays of both knees and stated that my left knee looked normal and his following words still ring in my ears: "this is the worst looking knee of any 35 year old I’ve ever seen.”  There was also a noticeable difference in the size of my calves, I had no idea how much I favored my right leg but this was quite evident when he pointed out my atrophied right calf.  This fact, would come into play later in my life.

The Dr. laid out the course of treatment, NSAIDS, injections and eventually total knee replacement (TKR).  At 35, surgery did not seem like a viable option since all my research indicated that knee replacements would only last between 10-20 years, risk factors rise when replacing a replacement and I was overweight—6’2” and between 260-270 pounds.  Also, I wanted to wait in hopes that technological advances would take place and offer better solutions.  I read about cloning or growing cartilage in the lab and being the eternal optimist I hoped that I would be a candidate.  From what I gathered aside from the astronomical cost these procedures would only work with small tears in the cartilage and my knee had decayed way past that point, the medial (inside) part of my knee was just about bone on bone. Needless to say I was bummed out.

Several days after the appointment he did call me and said he was recently at a conference and heard of an Unloader brace and I was a prime candidate for this type of brace. The prescription was written and went to the orthotist for the measuring and fitting.  I was anxiously awaiting the arrival of my new brace.  Once I learned how to properly wear the brace it provided me with a sense of security, it wasn’t too bulky, mostly comfortable and allowed me to walk the longer distances I had refrained from doing.  Wearing the brace always reminded me of the old Jane Russell bra commercials—lifts and divides giving me the support I need and deserve.

The Unloader has a strap that crosses diagonally over the front of the knee and as you pull it tight it "pushes" the knee inward from the lateral (outside) side of the knee creating a gap.  This "gap"  is where the cartilage is in a healthy knee.  In addition to the Unloader strap there are three additional straps, 1 above the knee and 2 below keeping the brace in place.  The Unloader has served me well for the past 10 years and if you suffer from osteoarthritis I would definitely consider an unloading type of brace.

Tags:knee surgery

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