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Maduba John Chinedu 35 years old from Nigeria suffering from knee problem

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Posted 9/22/2015 10:56 AM (GMT 0)
I'm Maduba John Chinedu from Nigeria. I'm 29 years old. I have knee problem and the doctor here in Nigeria said i will need to undergo total Knee replacement surgery for me to be ok. I want to know how much it would cost to get this done in your country. I really need to get my life back. Thanks. Please reply
Posted 9/22/2015 11:02 AM (GMT 0)
Welcome to HW.I really don't know the answer to your question.My Rt knee is in terrible shape and I will have to have a Replacement in a few years so I know about the need,just not the cost.

Take care and God Bless.

Rick
Posted 9/22/2015 3:00 PM (GMT 0)
Costs depends on a lot of factors, like: do you have insurance? If you have insurance then its dependant on your deductible and coveraged co pays, ect...
Top doctors in the USA are costly, and this type surgery could run close to $200,000 or more. So as you can see, dependant on doctors/ insurances this could be a very costly surgery.
If you've not tried physical therapy first then insurance might not cover this, in the USA, a recent new study on this says physical therapies can help in almost all cases.
Knee Surgery is a very painful type of surgery and you should try all non surgery treatments first, once you do have surgery there is a good chance you will lose some flexibility and range of motion, this could be mild to moderate, but surgery is not a guarntee fix.
I'm about 9 weeks out from arthroscopic surgery and I would never ever recomend this to anyone, just because of my experience which has been very slow progression and I have lost some range of motion.
But again some people heal up good as well, but overall knee surgery is hard on you and physical thearpies will need to be started after surgery...
Do a google search on knee surgery and do your homework on it to see if its what you need for the amount of pain your in. I'm not trying to talk you out of it, but just making sure its the right step for you...
Good luck in what you chose to do, others will come by with better advice...
Many well wishes to you...
Oh at your age as well insurance might fight your need for this surgery because of your young age, so you will need a top USA doctor willing to battle the insurance companies and you might need proof that you tried and failed physical therapy.
Posted 9/22/2015 3:05 PM (GMT 0)
Sorry to read what you have posted. However, as Rick said there is absolutely no way of knowing what it would cost for you to have this surgery in the states. You have so many medical professionals involved & each charge separately for their services. Its not just the dr & the hospital charges only, things like anesthesiologist, lab, xrays, physical therapy & ect.. If you know what hospital in the states you would like to have this done at they can give you an estimate of what their charges would be, but you need to keep in mind its just an estimate, the bill could be higher guess, probably somewhere around $100,000.00 range. Medical services are very expensive here in the states. It doesn't pay to get sick here or need a dr very often.

Does your country have a universal type insurance where it can takes months & months to see a specialist? I know some countries have this problem & it can take a good bit of time to have anything done. Although most people do fine having knee replacement, with any surgery there is never 100% guarantee it will be perfect. I would not be put off by someone stating never have knee surgery, if all of them were failures drs would not be still doing them.

If you are insured in your country with private insurance there is a very good chance it would not be accepted here in the states. Travel insurance does not cover elective type of situations, they are mainly for emergencies & that sort of thing. A knee replacement would not be covered I am sure.
Posted 9/22/2015 5:32 PM (GMT 0)
I didn't notice your age.I'm not to the point of needing a replacement yet but my knee is degenerating at a fast rate.

Even at 54 ,the Orthopedic Surgeon I saw said at my age it may not last but 5 years.I guess it depends on how active you are.

I'm holding out til I have no other choice.

The Surgeon told me that if I had it done at 60 that he would think it would last 10 years.

It's a personal thing.None of us are alike.

I wish you the best with your knee.

Take care.

Rick
Posted 9/23/2015 9:47 AM (GMT 0)
There are some knee issues that replacement is medically necessary regardless of age,not knowing what your issues are its hard to determine how much problems getting it done here is going to be. Millions of Americans undergo replacement each year and although its a very extensive work surgically go on to a uncomplicated and uneventful recovery with excellent prognosis for no further problems. A new knee can be life changing for someone who has had limited mobility and pain.

The new knee replacements are far better than their predecessors and last years and years longer making the need for a revision almost nonexistent. At 29 the new knee may last the duration of your lifetime. That's not always been the case and for decades the old hardware was known to last no more than 10 years making surgeon's encourage patients to wait years in pain to prevent having the replacement done knowing it would have to be revised several times during their life expectancy. They have gotten way better. Therapy is a must as your body has to relearn the mechanics of movement with your new hardware.
Posted 9/23/2015 6:22 PM (GMT 0)
There are very good joint replacement centers all over the US that will happily provide quotes for you. As Vickie mentioned, age restrictions don't apply in many cases any more as hardware life has improved greatly. If without US insurance you can ask for cash pricing. A TNR starts at about USD $ 25,000 at the Joint Replacement Institute in Naples, FL or Palm Beach, FL & goes up from there. Post surgery PT not included.
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