All you need to know about knee replacement surgery as the largest hinge joint in our body and an essential part of an active and healthy lifestyle, good knees are extremely important to the human body. Your ability to bend or flex the knee and at times even walk can be greatly affected due to pain and inflammation which is primarily caused by osteoarthritis or injury to the knee. If neglected, the pain and damage increase making life progressively difficult. Basic activities that you have been doing without a second thought, like walking, sitting or getting up from a seated position become difficult to perform.
This is when doctors suggest knee replacement surgery to alleviate pain and improve mobility. When is knee replacement surgery needed? When your knee joint is highly worn or damaged due to osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, haemophilia, gout or knee injury, doctors recommend this surgery. You may also notice the following symptoms: Your knee joint seems swollen and stiff reducing mobility and interferes with the completion of everyday tasks like walking up or down the stairs, taking a shower or sitting down for long hours. The pain is so severe that your sleep pattern is disturbed and it interferes with the quality of life. Your social life is curtailed due to limited mobility which results in depression.
What does knee replacement mean? The procedure of replacing damaged or diseased bone and cartilage in your knee joint with an artificial metal or plastic joint is known as knee replacement. This process helps the knee joint to carry out its functions as it was earlier. Depending on the extent of damage that your knee has undergone, you may be asked to consider a Partial or Total Knee Replacement (TKR) to help your condition. Your knee surgeon is the best person to decide on the best option and give you freedom from knee pain for a long time.
Procedure involved in the surgery you will be keen to understand what exactly happens to your knee while you lie on the operating table. So here it goes: The knee replacement surgery requires general anaesthesia to be administered to the patient, where you are unaware of the activities happening around you. It can also be epidural or spinal anaesthesia where you lose any sensation waist below while remaining awake throughout the surgery. Once this is done, your knee cap is moved to gain access to the knee joint in order to remove the worn out bones. These are then replaced by a prosthesis (metal or plastic parts) that has been created to fit perfectly into the knee joint. Using special quality cement, this artificial portion is held in place. In some cases, the bone surface is deliberately scraped to help the bone to hold onto the prosthesis firmly.
Understanding the risks and benefits of knee replacement with technology making its presence felt in the modern world, it is now possible to Book Surgery Packages online and undergo the surgery in any part of the country without much hassle. Knee replacement is quite common today and safe too with rare cases of patients experiencing complications. Infection is the most common surgical complication while implant issues, continuous pain and damage to the surrounding blood vessels being the other issues. It is best to speak to your doctor and get a clear idea of the benefits and risks post TKR. Post-surgery, once the pain reduces, you can resume normal life with renewed confidence and a smile on your face.