If you have pain and stiffness in your knee joint that restrict you from doing your normal activities, your doctor may suggest you to undergo knee replacement surgery. The surgery helps to alleviate your knee pain and to rectify a knee deformity. It is the best way to help you reverse your disability caused by arthritis or previous serious knee injury. The surgery involves eliminating a damaged or diseased knee joint and replacing it with an artificial part made of plastic or metal. Knee replacement surgery is safe and effective. More than 96% patients who have undergone this surgery do not face any major complications.
3 Important Facts You Need To Know About Knee Replacement
1. Knee Replacement Implants
Knee replacement involves removing damaged joint lining in the knees and implanting artificial parts that function like a normal knee. According to the severity of your pain and type of damage, you may need partial knee replacement or total knee replacement. There are numerous types of knee replacement prosthesis. Your surgeon will determine the right prosthesis, after analyzing your age, severity of joint deterioration, weight, lifestyle and gender. He/she will also look at the possible range of motion with the implant, its stability and the wear resistance capability of the materials used in the knee implants.
2. Signs That Help Determine The Right Time To Undergo Surgery
Knee replacement is a major surgery and you need to understand the right time to undergo the operation. More often, people aged between 60 and 80 needs to undergo the operation. Sometimes, younger patients suffering from knee problems may also need a surgery. If you are diagnosed with osteoarthritis, your doctor may recommend you to undertake a surgery.
Operation is especially important, if your pain limits you from carrying out day to day activities. The pain may be so severe that makes it difficult for you to sleep at night and you may need to take painkillers to get sufficient sleep. If medications, injections and physical therapies do not work for you, the only option is to undergo a knee replacement surgery.
3. Risks In A Knee Replacement Surgery
Although knee replacement is safe, there may be some risks. It is therefore important to know about the risks, to avoid complications of any kind. Blood clots may be a major risk in any type of surgery and knee replacement is no exception to this. However, this risk can be avoided by taking blood thinning medications after getting the advice of your doctor.
Infection of joint replacement is another risk. Infections may occur in implanted joints, which could cause serious problems. Nevertheless, the risk can be controlled by taking various precautionary measures at the time of surgery. Antibiotics may be given before and after surgery to reduce the risk of infection. It is important to check whether advanced sterilization techniques are followed in the operation site.
Knee replacement surgery can help treat severe osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, ligament damage and bone dysplasia. You can get recovery quickly, if you follow the diet plan and exercise program suggested by your doctor.
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