Bone Doctor

What does "minimally invasive knee replacement" actually mean?

This came out of my recent conversation with Dr. Kevin Pho on The Podcast by KevinMD. A patient came to see me and asked for her knee replacement by a trademarked name. She used the term perfectly. She just did not know what it meant.

The written version goes deeper than we had time for in the episode: how the subvastus approach works, why branded procedure names have no published research of their own, who does not qualify for a muscle-sparing approach, and the five questions I would want a family member to ask before agreeing to surgery.

Watch the podcast episode: https://youtu.be/xBdwrwH1SGQ?si=PVXKf...

What questions do you wish someone had answered before your surgery? Leave them below.

10 hours ago | [YT] | 8

Bone Doctor

Who Should NOT Get a Knee Replacement Yet? A Surgeon's Honest Answer

Patients ask me who should get a knee replacement far more often than they ask who should not. I think that is backwards.

Here is the part that rarely gets said out loud: when knee replacement is done for milder arthritis on X-ray, outcomes tend to be worse. More pain. More dissatisfaction. Arthritis causes knee pain, but so do tendinitis, bursitis, a meniscus tear, and a bad hip. Replace the joint and whatever else was hurting is still there.

In this one I cover the four red flags I watch for in clinic, two real patients whose knee pain was coming from somewhere else entirely, the honest dissatisfaction numbers, and the expectations conversation I have before every surgery.

None of these red flags means never. Every one means not yet.

Full discussion: https://youtu.be/KEOp47EtEkA

Questions about your own knee? Leave them in the comments. I read them all.

22 hours ago | [YT] | 15

Bone Doctor

Once a knee replacement date is on the calendar, the question is always the same: what should I be doing right now?

Six steps, started 4 to 6 weeks out. Optimize your health. Review your medications. Finish dental work. Build quadriceps strength. Set up your home. Line up your help.

The surgery replaces the joint. It cannot replace the muscle.

Full guide: corycalendinemd.com/blog/preparing-for-knee-replac…

Which of the six feels hardest to you?

3 days ago | [YT] | 28

Bone Doctor

What GLP-1s Can and Cannot Do for Hip and Knee Arthritis?

Patients with hip and knee arthritis ask me every week whether a GLP-1 will let them avoid joint replacement. Here is the honest answer I give them in clinic.

These medicines are real tools for the right patient. Less weight means less load across the joint with every step, and pain often improves. For some patients that pushes surgery years down the road. For patients who still need surgery, arriving lighter can improve candidacy and lower risk.

What they will not do is regrow cartilage. A quiet joint is not the same as a healthy joint.

The part I most want you to hear is about muscle, and the one safety point that has to be part of your surgical plan.

Watch here: https://youtu.be/YmBApqjroYk

If you have a question about these medicines and your joints, leave it in the comments. I read them all.

5 days ago | [YT] | 46

Bone Doctor

First Week After Hip Replacement: What To Actually Expect

Patients ask me about days 1 through 7 more than any other stretch of recovery, usually because they are picturing something harder than it is. In this video I walk through standing and taking your first steps within hours of surgery, going home the same day, how we control pain without leaning on narcotics, what swelling and bruising are supposed to do, and how to protect the incision that first week.

I also cover the warning signs that are worth a same day phone call. I would rather field ten calls that turn out to be nothing than miss the one that matters.

Video >> youtube.com/shorts/7HZfNt0lJu...

Full week by week recovery timeline here: corycalendinemd.com/blog/hip-replacement-recovery-…

5 days ago | [YT] | 98

Bone Doctor

"You're bone on bone." Few phrases land harder in a clinic room, and most patients hear it as a surgery sentence.

It usually isn't. Cartilage loss cannot be reversed, but symptoms often improve without an operation, and the decision comes from your pain and function, not the image alone.

The full breakdown, including what shows on an X-ray and the treatments that still work:
corycalendinemd.com/blog/bone-on-bone-arthritis/

Has a doctor ever told you that you're bone on bone? What did you think it meant?

5 days ago | [YT] | 23

Bone Doctor

How successful is knee replacement? Here are the numbers I give patients across the desk.

About 90 to 95% of total knee replacements are still working well at 10 years, and more than 90% of people get substantial or complete relief of arthritis pain.

The part that rarely gets said out loud: roughly 1 in 10 patients are not satisfied, and it usually comes down to expectations rather than the implant.

Full breakdown, including the five things you control: corycalendinemd.com/blog/knee-replacement-success-…

What question about knee replacement has nobody answered for you yet?

1 week ago | [YT] | 16

Bone Doctor

Pain in the front of your knee on stairs? You are not alone. More than 20 percent of adults deal with it, and close to 40 percent of teen athletes report it.

Most people assume it means arthritis. Usually it does not. There are 7 common causes, and the fix for the most frequent one starts at the hip, not the knee.

New article breaking all 7 down:
corycalendinemd.com/blog/anterior-knee-pain-causes…

Add Dr. Calendine as a Google preferred source in one tap: corycalendinemd.com/preferred

Which one sounds like your knee: stairs, kneeling, or sitting too long?

1 week ago | [YT] | 24

Bone Doctor

Hip replacement recovery timeline questions come up in nearly every consultation.

Most patients walk the same day, retire the walker in two to three weeks, stop using a cane by four to six weeks, and feel close to normal at three months.

Full discussion: corycalendinemd.com/blog/hip-replacement-recovery-…

Serving Franklin, Nashville, Brentwood, and Middle Tennessee.

1 week ago | [YT] | 19

Bone Doctor

From Walker to Cane After Hip and Knee Replacement Surgery

Almost every patient asks when they can put the walker down after a hip or knee replacement. The part most people have backwards: the walker is not holding your joint up, it is holding your balance. Your new joint can take full weight from day one.

Hips: a cane in a few days. Knees: about a week.

Full written guide, including which hand holds the cane and how to wean off it: corycalendinemd.com/blog/using-walker-or-cane-afte…

Want these articles to show up in your Google and AI search results? Add Dr. Calendine as a preferred source in one tap: corycalendinemd.com/preferred

1 week ago | [YT] | 16