hevysrf

Anyone have positive results from PRP therapy for osteoarthritis?
How about total knee replacements? have you continued riding after?

I just finished a course of Orthovisc, not really thrilled with the results.

jnbrown

I had PRP for tendonipathy in my hip.
It cost me $750 and not covered at all by insurance since it is still considered experimental.
My doctor told me I should see improvement with 2 months but I did not.
However after about 6 months it was much better and eventually fully recovered.
I was not doing any PT at the time so I attribute the improvement to the PRP.
I am not sure how effective it is for OA, I would do more research before spending the money on it.
Good luck

tomato coupe

I've had better results with PRP than Synvisc / Orthovisc / Hyaluronic Acid. But, I wouldn't think they would do much good if you're at the point where you need a knee replacement.

hevysrf

Thanks for your input, I'm told my X-rays show a progressive deterioration, but I might have some time before surgical intervention. My wife had a full replacement about 4 years ago, long recovery road, good outcome, but she's not a cyclist.

Rdmonster69

I had some pretty serious surgery on my knee joint due to a Schakter (SP?) Type 3 Tibial plateau fracture. I had breaks in the lateral and posterior section of my Tibia and some tears of some major ligaments. Instant arthritis unfortunately. I was advised to keep moving for sure and cycling has been a godsend.

My Ortho did not suggest any of the treatments that I have read above but did say a knee replacement may be in my future. I hope to stave that off by remaining as active as possible. This cold weather is def teaching me a lesson about arthritis.

DMC707 

Im 50yo and had a total knee last november --- I was riding a bike a very limited amount before the bandages came off and now, my knee does not hinder my cycling at all. I aspire to return to the track as well, but im still a little shaky for out of the saddle sprinting

49 year old Masters track cyclist, Karl Baumgart, set the Masters 45-49 Kilo world record very recently and has a handful of domestic gold medals as well ---- his knee replacement was in 2019

2 American Records Broken on Third Day of Masters Track… | USA Cycling

63rickert

There is a board specialty called Sports Orthopedics. Find a doctor so qualified. Sports Orthopedists do not perform surgery. They work mostly with physical therapy. They are also real good at understanding which patients are going to need the Orthopedist who works with a knife. If they treat a patient with therapy who really needed the knife they are in trouble.

Orthopedic surgeons are wholly directed towards cutting. And motivated to do so. If your doctor is saying maybe, maybe much later, maybe years from now, then you have a lot of function. Which means a therapist very likely has something to work with.

Yes, knee replacements work. If your surgeon doesn’t want to give one just now, figure out how to ride your bike in the meantime.

drlogik 

I injured my right knee years ago, got some mis-diagnosis and it wound up turning into a bone bruise and required a partial replacement. I was in my 40's at the time and active. I had a VERY aggressive therapist work with me. I spent hours every day on an articulating machine that moved my knee. It made all the difference. Painful, but worth it.

Within just a couple of weeks I was up and moving around. After 6 weeks I was walking almost normally as I recall. I've not looked back since and I'm an active 63 years old now. Implant is still good, no pain and doesn't hinder riding.

I would recommend switching to SPD mountain bike pedals though. They provide a lot more float and are easier on the knees. I have them on every bike and sore knees of the past are gone because of them.

Pratt

There have been a few randomized, controlled trials of platelet rich plasma, usually against intra-articular injection of hyaluronic acid. They indicate that the treatment is safe, and offers modest, symptomatic improvement for 12 months. It seems to work better in younger patients than in older. The rationale is that the plasma is a good source of growth factors that work with stem cells to promote the production of new cartilage. Evidence of that is less good.
Google PubMed and search in their data base for the newest info. If you go to a local college or university you may be able to log on via their web site and read even the non-free articles.

Pratt

63Rickert has good advice. If you have a professional sports team, or big time college near you, call the athletic department for the name of their knee guy. He will be top notch, and biased toward restoring function.

DaveSSS 

My knees were mostly worn out in 2010 at age 57, so I quit cycling. I had both knees replaced in 2017 - one in January and one in November. I went back to cycling in July of 2018. I lost a lot of leg strength with almost 8 years off the bike. It took over 2 years and 10,000 miles of cycling to get back to normal. I'm riding 5000+ miles per year now. I just got to 5000 for this year. At age 68, I ride about 1.5 mph slower than I did at age 50, but that's just part of life. I still ride up to 52 miles at a time with over 3,000 feet of climbing, three times a week, weather permitting. This time year, most of my rides are around 40 miles.