All you need to know about knee replacements
Why might you need a knee replacement?
Knee replacement normally becomes necessary due to damage and arthritis within the knee, which causes significant pain and restricts mobility severely. You can read more about arthritis HERE.
If your quality of life is so severely restricted due to pain and immobility, you may want to consider a knee replacement. The operation is rarely an emergency and is generally your choice.
Typical symptoms which may mean you need knee replacement surgery include:
Pain: which gradually gets worse over time and can also have sudden attacks were pain is acute. It is normally worse when weight-bearing and doing any normal activity.
Swelling: This can be severe and prevent you bending your knee. See your doctor to rule out any infection, especially if you have a fever.
Morning stiffness: the knee is stiff in the morning in particular, but may improve slightly during the day. This is particularly prevalent in people with rheumatoid arthritis.
Being over-weight makes knee pain worse
Carrying too much weight puts extra stress on the joints and can make symptoms of arthritis considerably worse. Read more about the effect of weight on joints HERE.
What types of knee replacement are available?
There are two types of knee replacements: total and partial.
Total knee replacement requires an incision over the knee and usually entails a hospital stay of a few days to a week. Recovery can take between from one to three months, but the good news is that most patients report are free of their arthritic symptoms once they have recovered.
Partial knee replacements are less invasive, but are only suitable for about 10% of all patients. This is suitable when someone only has arthritis in one of the three knee compartments.
What will a doctor look for when deciding if you need a knee replacement?
Your GP will refer you to an orthopaedic surgeon, who will examine you, as well as looking at your medical history and taking X-rays, which will clearly show any arthritis. X-rays taken standing up are preferable, as it shows what happens to the knee when it is weight-bearing.
Benefits of a total knee replacement
More than 90% of people who have total knee replacements have no pain after recovery or substantially less pain. It relieves stiffness as well and enables people to live normal active lives.
Knee solutions for younger people
For people under the age of 45, the surgeon may consider a procedure called osteotomy, but this is only suitable if arthritis is confined to one compartment in the knee. Osteotomy cuts and repositions a bone around the knee to change the loads
surgery often require immediate access to multiple medical and surgical specialties and in-house medical physical therapy and social support services.
Next a well-positioned skin incision–typically 6”-7” in length though this varies with
Recovery and rehabilitation
Physiotherapy usually begins on the day of surgery, or on the day afterwards. Patients are encouraged to walk and to weight-bear as much as they can. They will also be given exercises to do regularly.
What help might you need after surgery?
Immediately after getting home, people might need help getting around, getting out of bed, or going to the toilet. Having garb rails in the bathroom and by the bed can be very helpful. Physiotherapy will normally continue after discharge from hospital and you can also do exercises at home.
When can you resume normal activities?
The aim is to get to at least a 90 degree knee bend within two weeks of surgery. After about a month, most people can move about well and be back to normal after three months. After recovery, it’s a good idea to walk, swim and do other exercises to keep fit, keep weight off and keep the knees supple. Running is usually not recommended with a total knee replacement.
