How Your BMI Affects Surgery Candidacy

Calendar November 8, 2018

Question: Hi, I am 58 and weigh about 320 pounds. I want a second opinion about total knee replacement. My orthopedist wants me to lose about 100 lbs before surgery. My right knee is bone on bone, no cartilage and my leg is bowing. I have had a cortisone shot and the gel injections; nothing helps. I am in almost constant pain. Do you or other knee doctors at Azalea require a certain weight?

Dr. Kim Foreman: Azalea does evaluate weight when considering whether a patient is a candidate for hip or knee replacement.  We use a calculation called body mass index (BMI) which takes into account weight vs. height.  At 320 pounds, you would have to be 6’4” or taller to have a BMI less than 40, which is our cutoff.  You can google BMI calculator to find out what your actual BMI is – each point above 40 is approximately 7-71/2 pounds, so you can determine how much weight you would have to lose before we could consider knee replacement.

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