All About Knee Replacement

If your knee is severely damaged by arthritis or injury, it may be hard for you to perform simple activities, such as walking or climbing stairs. You may even begin to feel pain while you are sitting or lying down.If nonsurgical treatments like medications and using walking supports are no longer helpful, you may want to consider total knee replacement surgery. Joint replacement surgery is a safe and effective procedure to relieve pain, correct leg deformity, and help you resume normal activities.

 Knee replacement surgery — also known as knee arthroplasty (ARTH-row-plas-tee) — can help relieve pain and restore function in severely diseased knee joints. The procedure involves cutting away damaged bone and cartilage from your thighbone, shinbone and kneecap and replacing it with an artificial joint (prosthesis) made of metal alloys, high-grade plastics and polymers.

In determining whether a knee replacement is right for you, an orthopedic surgeon assesses your knee’s range of motion, stability and strength. X-rays help determine the extent of damage.

Your doctor can choose from a variety of knee replacement prostheses and surgical techniques, considering your age, weight, activity level, knee size and shape, and overall health.

When does one require knee replacement surgery ?

It may be time to have replacement surgery if you have:

• Severe knee pain that limits your everyday activities like walking
• Moderate or severe pain in groin or knees while resting, day or night
• Chronic knee inflammation and swelling that doesn’t improve with rest or medications
• Knee deformity: a bowing in or out of your leg
• Hip or Knee stiffness: inability or very painful joint movement
• No pain relief from NSAIDs (or can’t tolerate them) or other conservative measures

What Is Knee Replacement Surgery?

Knee replacement is in a way resurfacing the damaged surface of the knee. Knee Replacement may be either Partial or total.

Total Knee Replacement (TKR) – Both sides of your knee joint are replaced.

Partial (half) Knee Replacement (PKR) – Only one side of your joint is replaced in a smaller operation with a shorter hospital stay and recovery period.

Total Knee Replacement (Procedure)

• Midline incision in front of the knee. cut mark might extend around 10 inches in length. The knee cap is moved to the side to enter the joint.
• Reshaping and resurfacing damaged ends of thigh bone (femur) and shin bone (Tibia) and Implant inserted
• Closure of the wound with staples

Partial Knee Replacement

In some patients who are more than 70 years of age and have limited arthritis of the knee joint, the whole knee need not be replaced. Only the diseased portion is removed, surfaces are reshapen and metal with plastic are inserted with bone cement of those part which have been removed.