What decides that a knee needs replacing once medicines stop helping?
Dr. Mahajan is Chairman Orthopaedics, Joint Replacement & Chief Robotic Joint Replacement at Max Smart Super Speciality Hospital, Saket.
A man with trouble in both legs had been taking medicines when Dr Ramneek Mahajan saw him.
How did it start?
The patient says he had trouble in both legs.
What had been tried before?
A family member who came with him says the patient had been taking medicines.
What did Dr Mahajan say had to be done?
A family member says Dr Mahajan examined the patient, looked at his old X-ray and old test results, and said medicines would not help: a knee replacement was needed.
Dr Mahajan says the left knee was replaced first, with a robot's help, a robotic arm the surgeon uses to guide the cuts.
What changed after the operations?
Dr Mahajan says the patient was walking without a stick within 15 days of the left knee operation, and again within 15 days of the right knee operation. Three months on, the patient is doing everything.
What should a patient ask when medicines stop helping?
This is one man's story, not a promise: what an operation can do for you depends on your own case.
Ask what your X-rays and earlier results show, and whether a knee replacement is the next step.
If both knees need replacing, ask which one will be done first, and why.
What this case teaches
When medicines and walking supports stop helping, a knee replacement may be worth considering, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons says.
Surgeons recommend a replacement on pain and disability, not age, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons says.
Doing the knees 6 weeks to 6 months apart was linked to lower one-year death risk than both together, a cautious 2025 review found.
