My father is 62 and had polio as an infant that left him crippled in one leg. The knee on the other leg has caused him severe pain, his physician recommends knee replacement. His fear is the surgery may not be successful, and how do you determine successful, this knee is his only "good leg". Has anyone been in a similar situation?

-- Tonya Loy (mtloy@kih.net), January 15, 2000

Answers

I lost the thigh (quadriceps) muscles on my right leg when I was 17 years old in an explosion. This left me with "one good leg". In 1998, when I was 68 years old, I had a total knee replacement in that "good" knee. It has been a lifesaver. Without it function, I would be totaly crippled. I am very happy with the result. (NOte: your dad's polio damage can be equated to my loss of muscle.)

-- Clayton Benner (Kleightonb@aol.com), August 24, 2001.