Everything You Need to Know About Knee Joint Replacement: Purpose, Procedure and Risks

Everything You Need to Know About Knee Joint Replacement: Purpose, Procedure and Risks

Have you ever heard about knee joint replacement but, don’t know what is it? In this article you will come to know everything about knee joint replacement – it’s purpose, procedure and risks. So, let’s start with what is knee joint replacement.

What is Knee Joint Replacement?

Knee joint replacement is a surgery to replace the knee joint which is severely damaged or injured, with an artificial joint. The damaged cartilage and bone are removed from the knee joint and then replaced it with the man-made artificial joints that is called a prosthesis.

Why It’s Done?

Commonly knee joint replacement surgery is done to relive severe pain caused by osteoarthritis. When a person face problems while climbing stairs, walking, getting in and out of chairs, or feels pain even while resting on then, knee joint replacement is recommended.

Knee joint replacement is generally recommended to old age persons who have difficulties in walking and climbing stairs and have complaints of knee paining. But, Knee joint replacement is also recommended to some young people who have injured their knees in an accident or damaged cause of any disease.

How It’s Done?

The surgeon carefully check your knees and of course, first they use the other treatments and if the patient did not have a successful outcome with simple treatments then, the surgeon suggests the patient to have a knee joint replacement surgery. This helps the patient to return to his normal activities and functions well.

The damaged part of the knee is removed and replaced with the prosthesis (a man-made joints) or artificial body parts during knee joint replacement.

The prosthesis are made of both metal and plastic parts. But now many of the prosthesis are made of metal on metal, ceramic on ceramic and plastic on ceramic.

There are different types of knee replacement surgery that your surgeon can opt for the treatment. Let’s see the different types of the knee joint replacement.

Types of Knee Replacement Surgery

  • Knee replacement surgery
  • Knee arthroscopy
  • ACL ( Anterior Cruciate Ligament) reconstruction
  • Partial knee replacement
  • Removal of loose fragments of bone and cartilage
  • Lateral repair
  • Tendon repair

The above are the types of the knee joint replacement surgery. Your surgeon can opt for any of the surgeries depending on the condition of your knee. It is not necessary that you need to go through knee joint replacement but, the other types of surgeries can also be opted for your treatment by your surgeon.

It has been seen that more than 90% patients of knee joint replacement and also the other type of knee joint replacement surgery have successful outcome. However, there is still the possibilities of complications in every surgery. So, before going through the surgery you must know about the complications or risks of the knee replacement surgery.

What are the Risks of Knee Replacement Surgery?

Any surgery carry some risks or complications that can include:

  • Infection
  • Blood clots
  • Heart Attack
  • Stroke
  • Nerve Damage

So, you must inform your surgeon immediately when you will notice the signs of infections like:

  • Fever higher than 100 degree Celsius
  • Swelling and pain in the knee
  • Increasing redness or tenderness
  • Drainage from the operative site

An infected artificial joints requires another surgery to replace the joint with the new one and antibiotics to kill the bacterias. Another risk after the surgery is the failure of the artificial joint. Artificial joint failure risks are higher if you stress the joint with heavy work or excessive exercises.

How to Prepare for Knee Replacement Surgery?

If you will prepare for your knee replacement surgery in advance then, this can make your recovery go a whole lot easier and faster.

  • Plan Early: Before you set a date of your operation or surgery think how it will affect your life. Thing may be stressful after a surgery for many weeks so, you should plan early to make the surgery go smoothly and speed up your recovery.
  • Ask Questions: This will really help you a lot during your surgery and post surgery. You can ask the surgeon if you have any doubts related to surgery. How long will the surgery take? What of type of anesthesia will you need for the surgery? What kind of rehab will you get? Make sure to make the notes or write the answers if you have lots of questions to ask. And it would be better if you will take any of your trusted friend or family member along with you.
  • Practice: Before the surgery you should start practicing some exercises. You should learn the physical therapies that you will require after the surgery for a speedy recovery.

Results

Three to six weeks after your surgery you can resume your daily activities and works. Most of the patients get pain relief, improved mobility and a better life after the knee replacement surgery.

After recovery you are allow to do the low-impact activities like walking, swimming, driving (if you can bend your knees), etc. But, you must avoid the higher-impact activities like running, jogging, or sports that involve contact of jumping. Always talk to your doctors for your limitations and further improvement tips.

 

 

 

 

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