I have so many questions about why Elton John turned his kneecaps into jewelry.
1. I’m sure they aren’t his entire kneecaps as we don’t remove them unless they are shattered and in too many pieces to repair. In a partial or total knee replacement, a portion is removed in order to make space to put a polyethylene (plastic) cap to resurface it.
2. Why was there a hole in his patella? Short of a bullet hole or some types of cancer, it would be rare to see a hole in the patella. I do see severe cases of patellofemoral arthritis where the patient has worn their bone down pretty far. If it is very thin, I don’t have to remove much from the lateral side to do a reconstruction.
3. In the US, patients cannot keep their bones or other body parts after surgery. They can keep screws and plates but their bones/ meniscus/cartilage etc. goes to a pathologist to examine and then gets discarded.
4. Why would you want a memory of something so painful on a necklace or broach?
I don’t know…it’s a pretty unusual story.
Read the Today article to learn more: Elton John Turned His Kneecaps Into Jewelry. Yes, You Read That Correctly.