Healthy knees are necessary for balance and to perform several daily activities. The knee joint, which is the biggest joint in the human body, can be damaged by arthritis or injuries. When medications and props are no longer effective in damage control, a total knee replacement surgery (arthroplasty) may be carried out as a safe option to relieve pain and deformity.
Total knee replacement (TKR) is performed by removing the damaged part of the bones that make up the joint and replacing them with metal implants to lend the required support. The procedure comes with its own set of risks, and is, therefore, carried out only on those patients for whom it is absolutely necessary.
Prior to a total knee replacement you will be required to do a few tests to ensure that you are an appropriate candidate for the procedure. This pre-surgical evaluation will be carried out a few weeks before the surgery. Sometimes, you will be required to perform pre-operative strengthening exercises, or undergo weightloss before the procedure to enhance surgery results.
If you are considering TKR, there are a few things that you need to do prior to the surgery. First ensure that your surgery is carried out only by a knee specialist. Once you have done that you should ask your specialist the following questions –
Any surgery is risky and so is TKR. It is the duty of the doctor to tell you about the benefits of surgery and also about the risks involved, including the anesthetic that will be used ( epidural, sedative), chances of infection and procedural failure, heart problems, nerve injury around the knee, implant related problems, stroke and even death. In order to make the right decision it is important to be aware of the risks and complications.
Although you may not want to know too much about the operation you must find out the basic information regarding the procedure as a part of your preparedness. This might help you to control your anxiety.
You can ask your ortho doctor about the nature of the implant and how successful it has been with other patients. Doctors usually tell you not to do strenuous activities after TKR as implants are subject to wear and tear.
Pain management is part of the post surgical proceedings. Several pain killers and anti-inflammatory drugs, including NSAIDS, will be used to control pain.
Your return to normal life will not be a speedy one. It is important for you to understand that you will have several days of hospital stay followed by a period of recuperation at home.
For a while you may even have to use crutches to walk around. Physiotherapy is absolutely necessary to help you regain strength, flexibility and balance. Time taken to get back to normal life is different in different individuals. It will depend on the healing time and on the success of pain management.
Nothing will happen overnight, but with time the pain in your knee is likely to reach a crescendo. Besides, there will be continued loss of strength in the knee joint area, leading to a problem in maintaining balance.
Kauvery Hospital is globally known for its multidisciplinary services at all its Centers of Excellence, and for its comprehensive, Avant-Grade technology, especially in diagnostics and remedial care in heart diseases, transplantation, vascular and neurosciences medicine. Located in the heart of Trichy (Tennur, Royal Road and Alexandria Road (Cantonment), Chennai, Hosur, Salem, Tirunelveli and Bengaluru, the hospital also renders adult and pediatric trauma care.
Chennai – 044 4000 6000 • Trichy – Cantonment – 0431 4077777 • Trichy – Heartcity – 0431 4003500 • Trichy – Tennur – 0431 4022555 • Hosur – 04344 272727 • Salem – 0427 2677777 • Tirunelveli – 0462 4006000 • Bengaluru – 080 6801 6801
My dad’s knees were injured due to playing sports, which is why we’re currently looking for a doctor that specializes in knee replacement. Well, thank you for informing us that we must be knowledgeable about the risks and complications before the surgery. I’m glad that you also informed us about the several pain killers.
This blog is for people who aren’t sure about getting TKR done. It answers all basic questions.
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