Knee Replacement

Nowadays, knee pain is quite common and even more surprisingly it is found even among young adults. According to recent studies, it has been found that the reason for knee pain in young adults is often associated with overuse. There are plenty of treatment methods that you can choose to relieve your knee pain and knee replacement is the most common among them.

So, it’s important to be aware of what is knee replacement, and for that, we have come up with information regarding knee replacement.

Knee replacement :

Knee replacement is a procedure of replacing the damaged knee joint with an artificial joint, with the help of a prosthesis. The prosthesis is a device that has been designed to support a missing part of the body and help them work better. This helps in relieving your pain and restoring movements.

Let’s know what are the indications for undergoing knee replacement surgery.

Indications of knee replacement surgery :

Severe pain and stiffness that limits your daily activities.
Individuals dependant on a cane or walker
Chronic inflammation and swelling in the knee.
Any knee deformities.
Failure to respond to medications, injections, and physiotherapy.

Like any other treatment, knee replacement surgery also has its contraindications, and it’s important to be aware of it so that you can choose the better option.

Patients with any active infection whether local or widespread.
Patients with any blood disorders

Only certain conditions require knee replacement surgery and these are the list of those conditions:

Osteoarthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis
Osteonecrosis

Now, let us understand the types of knee replacement surgery.

There are primarily two types of knee replacement surgeries :

Total knee replacement :

The entire cartilage and bone are removed and replaced with an artificial joint. It involves a hospital stay of about 3-5 days. It is mostly recommended for relieving the pain and stiffness caused by osteoarthritis, especially among the 55-75 age group.

Partial knee replacement :

Here, only one compartment of the knee is replaced, either on the outside or on the inside. It is considered to be less invasive and quick healing than the total knee replacement process. It is mainly indicated for those who are suffering from damage to the single compartment of the knee due to advanced conditions of osteoarthritis. It has the same benefits as that total knee replacement.

The procedure of knee replacement surgery :

Knee replacement surgery is done either under spinal anesthesia. During the procedure, an incision is made which is about 10 inches long, and the damaged joint surfaces are replaced with artificial joints after moving the kneecap aside. The incision is closed and your doctor ensures proper functioning of your knee by bending and rotating your knee.

It takes about one-two hour to complete the surgery and the hospital stay primarily depends upon the health condition of the patient. You might have a question here, like can you get knee replacement surgeries for both knees at the same time?? Of Course yes, double knee replacement surgery, if required, can be done which is more beneficial since you have single surgery, a one-time hospital stay, and faster rehabilitation.

Knee replacement surgery is an easy and effective method of treating your arthritis, and can help you get rid of knee pain as quickly as possible. And above all, knee replacement once done is said to last for approximately 25 years, so, you can easily change your life into pain-free with the help of knee replacement.