Knee Replacement Surgery

Knee Replacement Surgery or Knee Arthroplasty is a type of surgery performed to restore the function and mobility of a diseased knee joint. The surgery involves cutting and scraping away the damaged part of the knee, and then replacing it with an implant. The surgeon generally removes the damaged part of the shinbone, kneecaps, and thighbone and replaces the same with high- grade plastic, polymer, titanium or oxinium implant.

Why is it Done

If you have been suffering from severe pain in your knee joint, are no longer mobile as you used to be, suffering from a degenerative joint disease or have suffered an injury, you might need a knee replacement to fix the diseased joint. Your doctor will ask you to get a few imaging tests run and based on the reports he will prescribe medication and physical therapy or recommend a surgery.

How can one prepare for Knee Replacement Surgery

Your orthopedic surgeon will go through your medical history, understand your life-style, assess the condition of your knee and then take a call on the surgery. Usually, a surgery is recommended only when conservative treatments have failed to deliver results.

He will explain you in detail about the surgical procedure, inform you about the options you have in terms of anaesthesia and implants, tell you how the recovery process would look like, and set the expectations.

You will be asked to stop taking certain type of medication and supplements two – three weeks before the surgery.

What to Expect During the Surgery

Before the surgery, the patient is sedated with local anesthesia or spinal anesthesia. Alongside anesthesia, the patient is injected with peripheral nerve blockers and a dose of antibiotics to prevent risks of post-operative infections.

Once the initial prep for the patient is done, they are laid down on the operating table with their knees bent to offer maximum reach inside the knee joint that needs to be operated
During the procedure, parts of the bone and diseased cartilage is then removed from the junction where the femur and tibia meet the knee joint
Following clearing of the diseased portion, the hollow operated site is then replaced with a metal implant, supported by a special plastic to replace the backside of the kneecap. This is to ensure maximum flexibility of the prosthetic knee implant when the patient moves from one position to the other

How long does it take to Recover from Knee Replacement Surgery

Most of the patients are prescribed to stay for 3-4 days in the hospital after the completion of their surgery.

As for the primary recovery instructions, your surgeon will prescribe antibiotics, analgesics and anti-inflammatory drugs to deal with the pain and discomfort that succeed the surgery.

A day or two after your operation, you will be assigned a physical therapist to help you get back to standing and walking on your own using physical and occupational therapy
You will likely have to use crutches or a walker for a few weeks after the surgery till you regain all the strength back in
Your surgeon will monitor you for the first few days after the surgery and only when you regain the strength to walk on your own to the bathroom is when the surgeon will discharge you from the hospital
Even when you are back at home, it is crucial that you follow the exercises taught by your physical therapist and get your follow-up appointments on time to keep a check on your recovery timeline

Everyone’s recovery after a knee replacement surgery is subjective but majority of the patients are allowed to get back to their driving around four weeks after the surgery. You will need to consult your surgeon about other strenuous activities like swimming.