Knee pain is common for every older person, almost 90 percent of older people suffer from knee damage. It is not a small issue, it will affect you more in your life. So no doubt about getting treatment like knee replacement or hip replacement surgery. This will help to change your life completely. Let’s get to know about knee replacement surgery and its components.
What is Knee Replacement Surgery?
Knee arthroplasty, or knee replacement procedure, is one of the treatment options whereby the synthetic joint replaces the damaged or deteriorated knee joint. Such a suggestion is made when non-surgical methods like medication or physiotherapy fail to have an effect or restore the function of the knee.
Here are the types of knee replacement surgeries:
- Total Knee Replacement: This is the procedure where the entire knee joint is replaced by a surgeon for a patient who has a damaged knee joint.
- Partial Knee Replacement: Partial knee replacement is the process where a surgeon replaces only the damaged parts of the knee of patient.
Knee Replacement Surgery Procedure
To keep you at ease, anesthesia will be administered to you on the day of the operation. Generally, the operation time varies from 1 to 2 hours, depending on the extent of the knee replacement. Through the new components, the doctor will reestablish your knee by first making an incision, taking out the parts that have been damaged, and then implanting the new prosthetic ones.
The Benefits of Knee Replacement Surgery
Pain Relief
Reduction of pain is one of the major advantages of knee replacement surgery. The majority of patients feel a marked reduction in the long-lasting pain that is usually associated with arthritis or other knee joint ailments. Such a change can become your daily life, making all the basic movements possible without pain – walking, climbing stairs, or even just standing.
Improved Mobility
Most people who undergo a knee replacement are able to move much better than before. The new knee joint allows soft movements and thus the ability to perform everyday activities like walking or some mild sports is revived. The process of recovery and physiotherapy will indeed be your doctor’s method to guide you back to your strength and flexibility in the knee.
Enhanced Quality of Life
One of the main reasons that knee replacement surgery is recommended is that it is able to entirely change people’s lives through pain removal and by providing them with their mobility again. Most of the patients who have this surgery say that after some time they get back to their usual hobbies such as walking, gardening, going to friends, etc., which they haven’t been able to do due to continuous pain.
The Risks and Complications
A knee replacement is a procedure that involves some risks and side effects as any surgery. In most cases, it is a success, yet knowing the possible results is a must.
- Infection: One of the main reasons why the development of infection after knee replacement surgery is considered a severe complication, is that it is impossible even for doctors to completely eliminate the risk of infection during surgery. To bring down this risk, they put a lot of effort into it and that it is kind of not entirely eliminated. The symptoms of this are intense redness and swelling of the area that is infected, and fever. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to follow the doctor’s post-operative instructions strictly.
- Blood Clots: There are cases when individuals are capable of forming blood clots after surgery, hence patients who fall under the risk group of legs are considered as the most affected area, especially where the legs are concerned. The clots can be fatal if they have access to the lungs or heart. Therefore, your physician is going to suggest that you take anticoagulants and start moving as early as possible, both of which will be prophylactic against the occurrence of clots.
- Implant Issues: Implant Issues: It is always a possibility, but quite unlikely, that knee implants may deteriorate over time or, in some instances, become loose or dislocated. Then reoperation will be needed to solve the problem or to change the implant. But due to the materials and the methods nowadays, it lasts in the body for 15-20 years or even longer.
- Nerve or Blood Vessel Damage: As with any major surgery, the possibility of nerve or blood vessel injury is there, but it is very rare in this case.
- Stiffness and Limited Range of Motion: Some individuals might find their knee stiff or have a limited range of motion after a knee replacement, which, in most cases, can be managed with physical therapy and the passage of time, though,h some cases, when more treatment is required.
Post-Surgery Recovery
Here is the process for the recovery process varies from person to person idea of what to expect:
Immediate Recovery: After the surgery, you will be taken for a short hospital stay for observation. You will be given the opportunity to initiate a gentle movement of your knee( in which your healthcare team will take care of the pain management).
Physical Therapy: An early start of physical therapy after surgery is the main key to regaining the lost motion and strength. The therapist will instruct you on the exercises for resuming knee function and overcoming the stiffness.
Home Care: Once you get discharged, the responsibility of doing your recovery exercises at home falls on you. To avoid overdoing it, it is also very necessary that you take the doctor’s advice as prescribed. In addition, these signs that the body is healing after the surgery: swelling, bruising, and discomfort, are some of the things that should be decreasing in light of time.
Long-Term Recovery: Complete recovery may be as long as three to six months. However, most students are back to their normal lives within this period except that the total healing can take as far as one year.
Preparing for The Knee Replacement Surgery
Below is a list of basic facts that every patient should know about this.
- Medical Evaluation: Various examinations, such as X-rays and blood withdrawal to ascertain if your body is in good condition to undergo the operation will be performed by your doctor to arrive at the diagnosis.
- Pre-Surgery Instructions: It is possible that you will be asked to stop using certain medications, e.g., blood thinners, and also follow a set of instructions.
- Physical Therapy: It is quite common that a surgeon advises a patient to undergo a therapy session before an operation in order to strengthen the knee joints and to be more flexible.
The Best Surgeons For Knee Replacement Surgery
Here, we have listed some of the best knee replacement surgeon who has extensive knowledge in this field.
- Dr. Nirmalya Dev
- Dr. Prashant Baid
- Dr. Rakesh Rajput
- Dr. Abhirup Maulik
- Dr. Ranjan Kamilya
- Dr. Kanchan Bhattacharyya
- Dr. Ronen Roy
- Dr. Manoj Kumar Khemani
- Dr. Ritwik Ganguli
- Dr. Ashwin Chowdhary
Conclusion
The surgery of knee replacement may change the life of a person who has unbearable knee pain and has limited his/her movement. The convalescence period, though, takes its toll, yet, to a large extent, a person’s life quality is improved to a great extent. One can decide better if he/she need such a surgery after reading about the advantages and hazards resulting from knee replacement and the recovery process.
