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Treatment of an Unstable Knee - How to Survive Knee Instability Problems - Braces For Support

By Daniel Sims

Republish: EasyPublish™ Published: 02May2009 Word count: 662 Viewed: 435 time(s) Get Free Content For Your Site

How is your knee stability currently?

Are you having any problems with it being unstable?

Here are two cases studies that show the effects of treatment of an unstable knee. John and Pete were both in their 50s when they had their unstable knee diagnosed as a tear in their anterior cruciate ligaments. Both of them were active in sports and had been so all of their lives. Both of them had years to work before their retirement and needed to be able to walk so that they could get on with their activities of daily living. Neither of them had desk jobs.

Both John and Pete chose different treatments for their unstable knee problem, also known as a trick knee. The trick knee had a habit of giving out when they were walking, although it was not always such a painful condition. Still, both men knew that the problem had to be addressed.

How John Treated his Unstable Knee

John went to see an orthopedic surgeon at the urging of his doctor. The surgeon explained to him that the trick knee was due to a torn ligament and that it could be corrected with surgery. He explained that the surgery would keep him off work for a year and advised him to seek out disability. John had disability insurance and decided that he would go along with this recommendation. He took a leave of absence from his job as a carpenter and underwent the surgery.

The surgery for the unstable knee was successful in repairing the ligament. John was in the hospital a few days, during which he was in pain but given a morphine pump. When he got home, he had the morphine pump for a week and was then given a painkiller and asked to rest his knee for a few months.

After a few weeks, he gradually began to feel less pain but was growing more and more dependent on the pain killers. He began rehabilitation. It took him longer to get back to work than normal and he found that he was on disability for over a year before returning to work, due to other complications with his health. During this time, he developed a dependency to painkillers.

How Pete Treated his Unstable Knee

Pete did not have disability insurance and was worried about taking so much time off work. He too had the option of surgery to repair the ligament but opted to use a knee brace for his knee. He found that this solved the problem of the trick knee and his knee did not give out so much.

Using knee braces and on occasion, over the counter medication, he controlled the problem. His doctor also advised him to lose weight, which he did.

A Reflection on the Treatment Options for an Unstable Knee

Today, John is back at work and his knee feels pretty good. But his other knee is now giving him trouble. He found that the year off from work hurt him financially and it was also tough to get back into the swing of work. In addition, he found that it was very difficult to kick the painkiller habit. He is opting for more conservative treatment with the other knee and will not undergo knee surgery, despite the fact that the surgery on his other knee was deemed a success.

Pete still wears the knee brace and takes aspirin once in a while. He also started swimming and exercising his knee and lost 15 pounds. He feels in better shape than ever and the trick knee does not give him much of a problem at all.

If you feel like one or both of your knees is unstable, then you should consider taking your stability to the next level with a low profile brace. Knee supports can greatly add to the stability of your knee and can have you looking back six months from now, wondering what you ever did without one.

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