Looking for the best knee replacement surgeon in Bangalore?
- Extremely well-trained
- Specialized in knee replacement
- Vast clinical experience
- Excellent results
- Highest standards in patient care
- Inspiring trust and confidence
You have come to the right place! Read on…
Knee Replacement: Your questions answered…
“I have been diagnosed with arthritis of the knee. What is this?”
Arthritis is a condition in which the smooth surfaces of the joint become rough as a result of wearing away. Damage to the cartilage can be caused by degenerative process (osteoarthritis), inflammatory process (rheumatiod arthritis, ankylosing spondylarthropathy, connective tissue diseases, etc.) or incongruity of joint surfaces (post-traumatic arthritis, avascular necrosis, developmental dysplasia, etc.). This leads to pain, stiffness, deformity and limping. Read more about arthritis.
“What is the treatment”
You should avoid activities that cause pain, lose weight and do gentle exercises (to keep muscles working and maintain mobility). Physiotherapy will help if there is stiffness or muscle weakness. When pain is severe, a period of rest and analgesics is advised. A stick or walker or knee brace may be useful. Patients with inflammatory arthritis will benefit from anti-inflammatory medications, low-dose steroids, immuno-modulatory medications (DMARDs) or biologic agents. These are usually given under the supervision of a rheumatologist. Alternative modalities like yoga, acupressure, etc. can be tried but they do not give lasting relief. Read more about treatment principles.
“I have tried all these, but my pain has become worse. What else is there?“
If your pain is persistent and disabling you need a knee replacement
“What is knee replacement?“
Knee replacement is an operation in which an artificial device (prosthesis) is implanted to replace the worn-out knee.
Read more about Knee Replacement Operation
“When should I consider knee replacement?“
Do you relate to any of these?
- You have been having knee pain for a long time, but things are getting difficult
- Of late the pain has been getting worse, occurring more frequently and lasting longer
- You get swelling in the knee and cannot bend the knee fully
- You have difficulty sitting on the floor
- Stairs are a nightmare
- You have difficulty in getting into a car
- You try to avoid going to social functions, or going out of the house
- A slight mis-step causes severe pain in the knee
- You have sustained a fall because the knee was not steady
- You are not independent
- You are not able to go to your job
- You need help for your bath and toilet needs or daily activities
- You get pain at night which disturbs your sleep
If so – you have arthritis that needs knee replacement
Knee replacement: When and Why…
“What are the benefits of knee replacement? “
- Pain relief
- Restoration of movements of the knee
- Correction of deformities
- Improvement of activity level and functional status
“How will knee replacement help me?“
- Provides complete and lasting relief of pain
- Improves quality of life
- Abolishes the need for painkillers
- Restores movement to the knee
- Enables activities of daily living without help
- Restores independence
- Enables outdoor activities like travelling, shopping, attending social functions, etc.
- Enables gainful employment
- Corrects bow-leg or knock-knee deformity
- Improves walking ability which has a positive impact on control of diabetes, hypertension, ischemic heart disease and obesity
- Improves participation in social activities and mental outlook
“I have read about stem cell treatment, cartilage grafting and magnetic therapy. Will they help?”
Stem cell therapy and cartilage grafting procedures are appropriate for small cartilage defects. In addition, there should be no overloading (excessive contact pressure) at the articular surface and the underlying bony support should be intact. These conditions are not present in advanced arthritis where there is widespread degeneration of the cartilage and mal-alignment of the knee. Hence stem cell therapy or cartilage transplant procedures are not advisable. The results of these procedures are not guaranteed and therefore they cannot be universally recommended. In addition, they are not useful for inflammatory arthritis.
There are no good quality studies to show that Magnetic therapy is beneficial in the long run. It may provide short term relief of pain. When there is a bow-leg deformity, there is excessive pressure on the articular surfaces. This cannot be corrected by magnetic therapy. In addition, it is of no use in inflammatory arthritis. For this reason it is not covered by insurance companies and it is not available in western countries where there is universal health coverage. It is considered as an experimental treatment at present.
IN THE PRESS:
Knee pain – my article in the Deccan Herald
KNEE REPLACEMENT LINKS:
Call +91 9900236845