what will life be like after a knee fusion?

Question:

19 yr old with avasuclar necrosis in left knee. very advanced. w/tibial plateau fracture. cant get a totaly knee because knee MAY be infected (couldnt find cause). so I need a knee fusion (my knee will be stuck straight at 20 degrees) Caused by steriod treatment during leukemia treatment. want to know if i can drive, sit, walk (with or without a limp) etc. Will be attending college once surgery is completed so surgery is very important as well as the outcome.

Answers:
Have the knee fused ONLY if ALL ELSE has failed. Knee fusion is a LAST resort and really a poor one. You will NOT be able to drive, or walk without a limp. Sitting will be a problem and you will have one leg (the fused one) straight forever more. There is no turning back once this is done. Get a second and third (and fourth) opinion.

Other Answers:
you can see how it feels. I am a PTA and it will be difficult to perform most activities of daily living. Has your ortho talked about amputation. There are may advances in prosthesis. you would have an above the knee. your hip would cause knee flexion. weight bearing locks the knee in any degree of flexion. it would be more functional if you are young

Knee fusion is an option for yourself, but there maybe another option. It may not be one you would like to hear, but hear me out first. If you have the fusion you will not be able to move the knee out of that position (No crap hunh). Just try to do the things you are wanting to do after surgery with your knee in the position it is going to be fused. If you are ok with that, then that is great. Another option may be amputation. The advances in prosthetics are amazing now. If you want to be able to drive, walk without a limp, run, play sports, etc....a prosthesis is the way to go. True, it is easy for me to say this. But honestly if I had to choose, I would take the amputation. You will be fine having the knee fusion and live a good life. But it will limit you in certain areas, and if those are important areas of your life you may want to look at other options.

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what will life be like after a knee fusion?

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