Osteolysis

Osteolysis - Osteolysis refers to an active resorption or dissolution of bone tissue as part of an ongoing disease process.

While bone resorption is commonly associated with many diseases or joint problems, the term osteolysis generally refers to a problem common to artificial joint replacements such as total hip replacements, total knee replacements and total shoulder replacements.

In total hip replacement, the particles worn off the gliding surface of the ball and socket joint often cause osteolysis. As the body attempts to clean up these loose particles of plastic or metal, the bone grows away from the implant, causing it to loosen. This may require a revision surgery (replacement parts).

It's a lovely little term I learned today. Apparently...in my knee, under the kneecap in particular I have a metal piece that replaced the arthritic bone and on top of that is/was plastic. I say was because it looks like the plastic has worn down to the metal and when this happens little bits and pieces flake off and embed into the bone. The bone treats this as foreign and bone is drawn away from these pieces. That is the best way I can describe it for now., The result is that the knee doesn't track with the kneecap like it should and there is alot of popping and clanging. It doesn't hurt but you can actually take the kneecap and move it to a point where it feels like two pieces of metal are clanging.

Not so good.

So....there is no infection which is a plus. So after a nice long talk with the chief surgeon who does these resurfacings we decided, well he decided that a new knee (total knee replacement) is the best option for me.

So as I told Shelly, pencil me in for Jan 3rd where I will go in for number 10 on the surgical count for this knee.