Knee Replacement Surgery to Get Rid of Knee Pain

Knees are definitely important for all of us. Both knees allow a person to walk, squat, bend, and kneel. But if the knee is injured or suffering from something like arthritis, one will have difficulties in doing day-to-day activities.

Today, the most common types of painful knee conditions are osteoarthritis, traumatic arthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis. These common knee conditions affect the joints so badly and even cause extreme pain that limits a person from doing several activities. In the starting, basic treatments will be recommended, but if they don’t work, orthopedic surgery may be the best option to treat all the problems effectively.

Knowing About Knee Replacement Surgery

Knee replacement is an orthopedic surgery that involves replacing affected and damaged sections of the knee with metal and plastic pieces. This way, a person gets the ability to move his knees the way it should, without the pain and any problem. Typically, this knee replacement surgery procedure involves a big incision that detaches the muscle from the kneecap of a person. The muscle must be given time to heal back, which makes the recovery process a bit longer than that of other procedures. The affected parts of the knee joint are then removed to make it prepared for plastic and metal components to be fixed, mimicking their shape. 

This surgical procedure usually takes 2-3 hours. While carrying out this Orthopedic Surgery, general anesthesia is given, so that a person remains unconscious throughout the surgery process. In many cases, local anesthesia is given too, meaning a person is going to be awake throughout the process, but he or she cannot feel anything in the knee. You can ask your surgeon which form of anesthesia is going to be used in your case. You should also ask if there’s a need to take antibiotics before the surgical procedure, to reduce the risk of infection or not.

When To Consider Knee Replacement Surgery

Knee replacement surgery can be needed by anyone, but these days it is more common on older people than that of younger ones. There are so many reasons for one to go for knee arthroscopy and its surgical procedure, such as arthritis, sports injuries, pain associated with cartilage deterioration, and the wearing out of the bone. To avoid this orthopedic surgery, different methods such as medication, losing bodyweight, physical therapy are explored sometimes to solve certain knee issues. But, in a case, if none of these works well, then the knee replacement surgery is the only option a person is left with. The healthier the person will be, the sooner he or she will be recovered, and fewer the risks will be. People with high blood pressure and sugar can still undergo this surgery if their illness in under control.

Easing The Fears Of Knee Replacement Surgery

If you are finally getting knee replacement surgery done, probably you have already been living with unbearable pain for a long time. Although the idea of being able to walk and move again without pain is great, but there is always a fear about the surgery, almost, we all go through. You are not alone, in this case. Every year, thousands of people are getting back to their normal lives by having this surgery.

Recovery After Knee Replacement Surgery

The recovery begins right after the knee replacement surgery. Once the time of 24-hour passes, you will be asked to stand up and start walking with the help of crutches or walker. This is so that you can make use of the new knee right away and speed-up the healing process. A person is then going to follow-up with a therapist and receives all the required medical medications.  You may get to use a continuous passive motion machine to make your recovery process even faster. This CPM machine is known to flex and move your knee joint to help to improve blood circulation and mobility.

Recovery After 2 Weeks And Beyond –

Once a person is discharged from the hospital, he will be able to move around quite simply. He might or might not require crutches and should be experiencing less pain. The therapist is going to prescribe some exercises and activities to do regularly to strengthen the knee. The end purpose is to –

• Reduce swelling
• Increase the strength
• Increase the range of motion

Once the time of 9-12 weeks passes, you will be able to do most of the activities without any pain. The key is to keep up with your physical therapy sessions. This therapy is a key component to strengthen the muscles and increase flexibility.

How to Choose Your Orthopedic Surgeon

Getting surgery done on your body is a serious matter. So, choosing a qualified and professional surgeon to do the surgery is vital, especially if it is a matter of mobility. When choosing an orthopedic surgeon for your knee replacement surgery, there are many things that should be considered.

• Experience, education, and credentials are some of the most important things that you should be concerned with when choosing a surgeon. If your general physician gives you a referral of the surgeon, then most likely, you will be sent to experienced and well-trained surgeons. Talking with friends, family members who have had prior experience of working with a surgeon can also help you choose the professional one.

• Professional orthopedic surgeons have all the advanced and latest equipment, such as X-ray equipment and MRI testing machines with them. These devices help surgeons to see the clear images of bones, joints, and let them see what is causing the problem and what treatment should be done to treat the problem. You need to look out for someone who has these equipment with them to carry out these medical procedures effectively.

• Having an open conversation with the surgeon and asking all your question and concerns about the knee replacement procedure will help you decide if should go him or not.  The orthopedic surgeon should be able to give answer to all the questions and explain everything in detail. They should show experience in their procedure and ensure they are professional enough to treat the problem effectively.

• Choosing a surgeon who has all the testing and operating equipment on the premises can prevent you from going one place to another for MRIs and other tests. Such surgeons usually have test results available quickly for you, which prolong discomfort and wait further.

• One other thing to consider is if the surgeon is trained in carrying out advanced surgical procedures like knee arthroscopic surgery, which can only be done in an outpatient facility. This type of surgical procedure takes less time to be done, is less traumatic, and leaves less scarring.

 Knee replacement surgery can dramatically change the quality of life, and if you are too considering getting it done, make sure to have a note of all these pointers mentioned above to ensure you have a professional and dependable orthopedic surgeon by your side.