What is Total Knee Replacement Surgery?
During total knee replacement surgery, the damaged bone and cartilage in the knee joint are removed and replaced with a prosthesis, an artificial joint.
Who needs a total knee replacement?
If your knee is significantly damaged due to arthritis or an injury, you could find it challenging to carry out basic activities like walking or climbing stairs. Even while you are sitting or lying down, you could start to experience pain. Consider total knee replacement surgery if nonsurgical options like prescription drugs and employing walking aids are no longer effective. Surgery to replace a joint can ease discomfort, treat leg deformity, and help you go back to your regular activities.
This article will give you additional knowledge about this beneficial technique, whether you are just starting to look into your treatment options or have already made the decision to have total knee replacement surgery.
Potential Surgical Candidates
Surgery is advised based on the patient’s level of discomfort and functional limitations, not on their age. The majority of patients who have a total knee replacement are between the ages of 50 and 80, although orthopaedic surgeons assess each patient individually. Total knee replacements have been successfully completed on patients of all ages, including young adolescents with juvenile arthritis and elderly patients with degenerative arthritis.
Surgical Recommendations
Your doctor may advise knee replacement surgery for numerous reasons. Individuals who gain from total knee replacement frequently:
It may be necessary to use a cane or walker because it may be difficult to walk more than a few blocks without experiencing significant pain.
Knee pain, either moderate or severe, when laying down, day or night.
Knee edema and inflammation that do not go away with rest or medication
A knee malformation, or a knee that bends in or out.
Failure to notice a significant improvement with alternative treatments like painkillers, cortisone injections, lubricating injections, physical therapy, or other operations
Evaluation of Orthopaedics
There are various elements to an evaluation with an orthopaedic surgeon:
History of health. The level of your knee pain and your functional capacity will be discussed with you by your orthopaedic surgeon together with information about your general health.
Physical evaluation By doing so, the entire leg alignment, stability, strength, and knee motion will be evaluated.
X-raysThese pictures aid in assessing the degree of injury and deformity in your knee.
To assess the health of your knee’s bone and soft tissues, you might occasionally need blood tests or advanced imaging, such as an MRI scan.
The space between the bones in this x-ray of a healthy knee (left) shows that the cartilage is in good condition (arrows). A knee that has bowed due to arthritis may be seen on this x-ray showing a substantial decrease in joint space (arrows).
Your orthopaedic physician will go through the evaluation’s findings with you and decide whether total knee replacement surgery is the best option for reducing pain and restoring function. It will also be reviewed and discussed whether there are any other viable treatment alternatives, such as drugs, injections, physical therapy, or different kinds of surgery.
Your orthopaedic physician will also go over any risks and issues that could arise from total knee replacement surgery , including those connected to the procedure itself and those that might develop later on.
The majority of people find that having knee replacement surgery improves their quality of life, increases their mobility, and relieves their pain. Additionally, the average knee replacement should last longer than 15 years.
Most daily activities, including shopping and light housework, can be resumed three to six weeks after surgery. Driving is also doable in roughly three weeks if you can bend your knee far enough to sit in a car, if you have adequate muscle control to use the brakes and accelerator, and if you’re not still using narcotic painkillers. You can take part in a variety of low-impact activities, such as walking, swimming, golfing, or biking, once you’ve recovered. However, you should stay away from more impactful activities like jogging, skiing, tennis, and other sports involving contact or jumping. Consult your doctor about your restrictions.
Getting ready for recovery
After having a total knee replacement, the majority of patients report significantly less discomfort and easier access to numerous daily activities. You’ll require a walker or a pair of crutches for support. Cooking, taking a bath, cleaning, and other fundamental tasks should require assistance from another person. The procedure will enable you to stand and walk for extended periods of time without experiencing discomfort, while the knee won’t bend as much as it did before you started experiencing knee difficulties. You should set up a chair while bathing because standing there can harm your knee. Wherever necessary, build the appropriate bars to support your mobility.
Our joint replacement programme is among the most comprehensive in Trivandrum. Our extensive surgical choices are suitable for patients of all ages and activity levels, and range from minimally invasive techniques. Our Surgeons with advanced training in their disciplines are a part of our orthopaedic teams.
Pulse Medicare is a full-service, multi-specialty hospital with a qualified medical staff conveniently located in Mannanthala, off of M.C. Road in Trivandrum. We are committed to fostering exceptional health for everyone through our doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals. Even though we are in the heart of the city, there is no pollution here. Among the specialist and super specialty departments are those for general medicine, paediatrics, gynaecology, general surgery, paediatrics, cardiology, neurosurgery, orthopaedics, and ENT dermatology. At Pulse Medicare Hospital, which is open twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, accidents and emergencies like heart issues, injuries, and other ailments are addressed. Both pharmacies and diagnostic centres are open twenty-four hours a day.
