What to expect after knee replacement
Joint replacement surgery is one of the miracles of modern medicine. It has led to a profound improvement in the lives of millions of patients suffering from arthritis.
Pain relief:
More than 90 percent of patients get total relief of pain following the surgery. They do not need any sort of medications or braces or physiotherapy, etc. after three months. Some patients feel minor discomfort in the knee but this is far lesser as compared to the pain of arthritis. There is some sensitivity of the skin over the scar and some numbness of skin around the scar. This is common to all knee surgeries (ligament reconstruction, fracture fixation, etc.) where there is an anterior knee incision.
Recovery of movements:
Almost all patients get functional range of movements that allows them to perform activities of daily living. A good number of them get a near-normal range of movements and are able to sit on the floor, squat and kneel.
Recovery of motion depends upon many factors: patient’s pre-operative movement, patient’s body habitus (size and shape), participation in physiotherapy programme, etc. The prosthesis is designed to give 135º (or more) of flexion. The prosthetic knee comes close to, but cannot fully mimic, the natural motion of the knee because of anatomic features of the knee and design factors of the implant.
Feeling of clicking or clunking (more like sound of dentures) is normal.
Improvement in function:
Patients can expect years of pain-free and active life after the surgery. They are able to undertake activities of daily living without any support. Patients who required a care-giver can expect to become independent. There is a dramatic improvement in the quality of life after knee replacement.
Outdoor activities like walking, travel, shopping etc. can be undertaken easily. Some patients are able to sit on the floor but this should not be done routinely. Light recreational activities like swimming, ballroom dancing, etc. can be done. Contact sports and high impact activities and physically demanding activities should not be undertaken.
Longevity:
Joint replacement is one of the most successful procedures in the field of medicine. A well done knee replacement generally lasts for about 15 years. This is influenced by the patient’s activity level, body weight, etc. among other factors.
There have been a number of recent reports of 95-98% twenty-year survival of the knee replacements. Advances in material sciences, implant design and surgical techniques are expected to improve these results.
Some patients have the misconception that after 15 or 20 years the knee will stop working or they will be bed-ridden or the leg has to be amputated. This is utterly wrong. When the knee fails it needs a revision knee replacement, which is quite successful.
Call +91 9900236845