You may not need a knee replacement yet.
An orthopaedic surgeon's honest guide to what's between "live with it" and "replace it" — including who these treatments won't help, and why I'll tell you if that's you.
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Most people tell me a version of the same thing
"I can't play pickleball or golf anymore. And I can't do the travel my spouse wants to do. I don't want surgery. My knee hurts, and I've been told I may need a replacement."
Notice what comes first. Not the pain. The pickleball. The golf. The trip you and your spouse have been planning since before you retired.
That's the actual problem. The pain is just the mechanism.
Which means the real question isn't how bad does my knee hurt. It's: what did I stop doing, and can I get it back?
Those have different answers — and nobody has walked you through the second one.
What's inside the guide
- The staircase nobody explained. Arthritis isn't a switch that flips — it's four stages, and where you are determines what's available to you.
- Every option, ranked honestly — including the ones I don't provide, because leaving them out would make this an advertisement instead of a guide.
- Who these treatments won't help. My actual exclusion criteria, in writing. Most practices offering this won't put that in print.
- What "come back when you're ready" leaves out — and why waiting is itself a decision.
- When a replacement really is the right answer. Sometimes it is, and I'll say so.
Why I can afford to be honest with you
If all I did was replace knees, you'd be right to wonder whether I see a replacement in every X-ray.
If all I did was injections, I'd have no reason to ever tell you that you've moved past what an injection can do.
I do both. So I don't need you to be a candidate for either one.
Before you download it — one thing about cost
Regenerative treatments are not covered by insurance, including Medicare. That isn't a policy of my office; it's how these treatments are currently classified.
Every patient signs an Advance Beneficiary Notice before proceeding, so you'll know exactly what you're committing to in advance. Nobody in my office will let you find out from a bill.
Who's writing this
Blake L. Ohlson, MD is a board-certified orthopaedic surgeon and regenerative medicine specialist who has practiced in Charleston since 2007. He co-founded Sports Medicine & Orthopaedic Centers in 2024 as an independent practice, treating hip, knee, shoulder, and foot & ankle conditions with both regenerative and surgical care.
- Board Certified, American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery
- Fellow, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
- Member, Interventional Orthobiologics Foundation
- Member, American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society
Find out which step you're actually on
The guide is free. Reading it takes about ten minutes. It may change what you thought your options were.
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