Titanium parts?

I got into a slow speed impact on my Husaberg about 5 months ago while out riding with Tuts and injured my right knee. It hurt, but didn't seem to be seriously injured so I kept on riding, but by the time we got back to the truck my knee was swollen and in deep pain. Being a stubborn sort I put up with the pain for a few months until it became so bad that walking was becoming difficult. My Orthopedic Doctor now tells me that I have a case of advanced arthritis in both knees and I need to have them replaced. The right knee is bone-on-bone at the joint and believe me when I say it hurts!. Celebrex and tylenol are no longer effective so I'm seriously considering the knee swap..
Has anyone had any experience with knee replacements?? I imagine that they are made of Stainless, but it'd be cool to get some titanium parts.
Dez

I'm sorry about your "loss." I just wasn't expecting this when I read the topic subject!

Remember, titanium is far stronger than bone. REPLACE!!!!

Also, when you go through a metal detector at an airport, you probablt will have to get stripped. When they see you've got no clothes on and still "beep" it's time for a cavity search! Think about that!

Good luck!

get one made from carbon fibre stronger than steel and no cavity searches :shock:

Probably made from Ti maybe Ceramic.

Hope for your sake they don't have the maintenance schedule of the Berg :shock:

I work in Hospital,and i am physiotherapist,in our clinic, the knee protheses are made of combination of special light metal and with ceramic for the gliding of the joints surface.

therapy;first days on the kintec,that is a passive device who bend and flex your knee to a certain degrees.When you bend over 90 degrees you can go home.
Besides kinetec also active muscle work out and starting walking with stick and without stick.
in Belgium the patients stay about 10 days in clinic after that at home some therapy.
And always one knee at the time,never both on the same time.
For hip patients they stay for about 14 days.

Im a therapist in canada ,I would ice it 2-3 times a day 10min and after swelling is down hit the gym to get your quads and hamstrings strong.Put off surgury, as long as you can . Knee surgery is no joke

Hello dez,
I'm real sorry to hear that, I've had my left hip replaced with a titanium femur and ceramic socket I would amagine the knee would be similar. It's held up fairly well, going on 12 years now. I've got an x-ray posted in my gallery if you want to have a look.

Good luck


Phil

Thanks to all of you for the replys. I haven't been able to go riding for the last few months and the withdrawl almost exceeds the pain. I'm going to get one more opinion and then if the next Doc's diagnosis is the same I'll go get the new joints.
rich501fe, believe me when I say that I don't think that knee surgery is humorous. I've had so many surgeries that I thoroughly understand the risks. Physical therpy after a knee hyperextention was brutal.
madero, there is no way that I will spend 10 days in hospital. I've been an in-patient often enough to have a ward dedicated to me and the longest that I've ever spent was 5 days in March of 2003 for a heart attack. ( that I also had while riding with Tuts).
Husastarts: That's a good looking Xray. If you can still dirt bike with that lump of metal in your hip I know that I'll be OK. Thanks.
And as far as the cavity searches I already came close... I have plates and screws in both legs and one day I was poking my right leg into and out of the metal detector at McCarran airport here in Las Vegas to see if it would register the steel in my leg. The attendant asked me what I was doing and when I told her she had me taken away for a strip search. They made me strip down to my skivvies to be sure that I didn't have anything hidden on me.. No cavity search was done to me, but they sure had a rod up their a$$.
I'm going to have to get the new knee soon because I've gained 15 pounds since I stopped riding and I'll have to get a 650 to haul my lard butt around if this keeps up.
Thanks again for the sentiments and advice,
Dez

dez;
joe namath [ny jets qb] had both knees replaced at one time.
2 days after his surgery he said he hadn't felt that good in 20 years.
i hope it all works out. maybe you should chose your riding buddies better.
tuts

Can't help you much but my mum works as an anastetic nurse and brings home the boxes sometimes that the new kneecaps come in.
Great to keep bolts and unassorted little things in...

:idea:

If you go for the swap, keep the box...

Daniel

UPDATE:
After shuffling around all crippled up and stumbling over myself I had just about decided to get the knee replacement. Then I was surfing the Web and found several other forms of potential remedy. I went to the Doc today and got Cortizone shots into the right knee (reminiscent of High School football days). If that helps I am going to move up to the next step and get a 5 shot series of Knee Fluid Replacement Therepy. It is called Viscosupplementation where the synovial fluid in your unhealthy knee is replaced with Sodium Hyaluronate. No gurarantees but worth a shot and better than 4 to 6 weeks off of work.. I may have to dual sport my bike or get a quad.
anyway, I'll keep posting updates for anyone who ends up with a similar problem. Not being able to ride really sux.
Dez

do husaberg still make quads..? :?:

44014,
I doubt that I'd buy a Husaberg quad even if they still made one. I was thinking of a Polaris.. nice and slow like a tractor. Its what the old guys around here graduate down to when they can't get it on (up?) anymore.
Dez

dez

we will have to start a new part in the forums

*how to make your polaris go like a husaberg *

:lol: :lol: :lol:

cheers doug

Sore knees

Hey, Dez...
Local newspaper just ran an article on knee and hip replacement alternatives. The procedure resurfaces the femur head at the hip instead of removing the head and replacing it with an artificial ball. This leaves a base of healthy bone for future use. My DO has looked at my right knee and left hip , says better to wait or try alternative to replacement, if possible. Once you have the replacement done, usually have to go back every 5-7 years for rework, potentially more often if you abuse the joint. The local article was a reprint of an AARP bulletin.

FC501east,
My DO advised me that upwards of 15 to 20 years can be expected from a good total knee replacement, unless it is abused. I'm sure that dirtbiking falls under "abuse". Thats why I will examine EVERY alternative to replacement. I just don't want to face multiple replacements on a bi-decade basis. The good news for me is that the Cortizone shot is working like a charm - so far. I'm holding out high hopes for the knee fluid replacement therapy too. Otherwise its going to be the Polaris.
I'm hoping to get well enough to make the "Force Ride" if it materializes.
NO--not on a Polaris (I hope).
Dez

I really hope that the therapy will work. Not only for your health and comfort, but also because otherwise the civilised world will loose a husaberg and sadly enough a quad (huuuuaaaaaaaaark) will take its place. Thats good for farming, or when you lost your legs in an accident. But to consider it an alternative for a husaberg, is ******* blasphemy.

To rich501fe - Husastarts - Fe501East - Xmen - Tuts - and my other W.W.W friends out there: I started this Topic to find out if any of the UHE Members have had knee replacement surgery and I got humor, comments, and good advice. I am appreciative of all of that and more, but not one rider has come forward with first-hand experience of having this type of surgery and continuing to ride Husabergs, quads, horses, or anything else (not including wheelchairs). The closest experience that was noted is Husastarts hip replacement and impressive Xrays. This got my attention (and admiration for his endurance), but didn't really address the issue completely. To wit: Can I get my knees replaced and still be any part of the sport that I've enjoyed on and off for over 30 years? I can always join a pit crew, or work on my buddies bikes in my garage, or visit the races, or tune my TIVO to watch James Stewart and RC go at each other in American MX this year on television, but that isn't an acceptable finish for me. I'd rather just quit cold-turkey (an American idiom for immediately stopping a bad habit).
So absent any replys to the contrary I can only surmise the following.
1. Knee replacements are rare amongst dirt bikers.
2. They don't want to talk about it.
3. Those who have had them are no longer actively riding.
I suspect it to be #3. Not a very scientific poll, but that supposition and rich501fe's professional advice have convinced my not to make any major moves that would be irreversable until I've absolutly exhausted all possiblities. Like many of you I have had surgerys necessitated by bike accident injuries that normal folks will never have to endure. So I can honestly say that I'm not just whimping out over a little pain. When you can't flex your legs to sit on the seat, and you can't walk more than 100 feet without having to sit down, and even sleeping in bed is a torture you know that something has to be done. That said, I visited my Orthopedic Doc and got a shot of Cortizone injected into the right knee joint on Nov.12th. Wow!!! after just two days I've got at least 90% less pain and can walk and be almost normal. By that I mean Physically Normal. I do ride Husabergs and live in Las Vegas so my mental state is obviously questionable.
This is the most amazing turn around that I have ever experienced. I fully realize that the underlying problem still exists, but it is now tolerable. The moral to this story, if there truly is one, is don't give up too soon and overlook alternatives. That holds true in any endeavor, but when your entire physical health's future is at stake and will require a serious potential life-style change be very very careful and don't over react to external stimuli including doctor's advice. Check it out and be conservative. I hope that I am not living in a Fool's Paradise , but I now have high hopes of at least a few more years of mixing it up out in the dirt.
I've arranged to recieve Knee Fluid Replacement Therepy, called Viscosupplementation, and I am so stoked and confident that it'll work that I am definately going to the USA FORCE RIDE at Moab ( see the Rally Point section of the Forum for info) to see how many Husaberg riders an over-the- hill ex-desert racing 60 year old with blown out knees can get by on the Moab trails. I'll see you there!
Thanks for the support.
Dez