Knee replacement is a type of joint replacement, so what kind of orthopedic surgery is knee replacement? Today we introduce the general knowledge of knee replacement, please see below for details.
I. What is knee replacement?
During normal joint movement, the cartilage in the joint effectively reduces friction between bone and bone. When diseases such as osteoarthritis occur, the cartilage ages and deforms, and friction between the bones increases, causing joint swelling, pain, and rotundity. Arthroplasty involves removing the aging cartilage and placing a metal prosthesis and a wear-resistant plastic spacer on the repaired bone surface. This replaces the friction between the bone and the metal when the joint is moving, thus relieving the patient’s symptoms, improving the function of the joint, and improving the quality of life.
How can you tell if you need a knee joint replacement?
A specialist’s diagnosis is undoubtedly the most authoritative conclusion. Usually, you may have to prepare yourself for knee replacement when you meet the following conditions
1. After 3-6 months of conservative treatment, the knee symptoms do not improve or worsen.
2. You have to stop and rest due to knee pain after walking more than 500 meters.
3.History of rheumatoid arthritis with limited knee movement.
C. What diseases can be treated by knee arthroplasty?
1, knee osteoarthritis knee osteoarthritis pain aggravated, the drug effect is not good.
2, traumatic osteoarthritis of the knee joint after trauma or meniscectomy pain diagnosed as traumatic knee arthritis, drug effect is not good.
3, rheumatoid arthritis knee joint rheumatoid arthritis pain, drug effect is not good or appear joint deformity, dysfunction.
4.Knee joint infection, trauma, residual joint ankylosis after surgery knee joint due to septic infection or tuberculosis infection, trauma, residual joint ankylosis after surgery, lower back pain or pain in the hip or knee on the healthy side; fusion of the knee joint after fusion surgery appears pseudo-fusion with pain or non-functional fusion.
5. Other diseases of the knee joint
IV. Is there an age limit for knee replacement?
Although the majority of patients undergoing artificial joint replacement surgery are between 60-80 years of age or older, the decision to undergo surgery is based on the patient’s symptoms, signs, dysfunction and degree of impairment, rather than age alone, and there are cases of artificial joint replacement from 16 to 90 years of age.
V. How do I choose the right time for knee replacement?
In principle, if your doctor determines that you are in need of a knee replacement, the sooner you receive the surgery, the better! This is because a knee replacement is definitely not a mere cartilage surface replacement procedure, but rather a procedure that combines soft tissue balancing of the ligaments around the joint. If delayed for too long, some of the functions of the knee will be lost for a long time, and the associated muscles and ligaments will develop disuse atrophy until they become irreversible, at which point even if the replacement surgery is performed again, the results will be far less than if the surgery had been performed earlier. Of course, if you also have other systemic diseases such as cardiopulmonary dysfunction or diabetes that prevent you from adapting to the surgery, you must not be too hasty.
How long can I use my knee joint after replacement?
Objectively speaking, the life expectancy of a knee replacement depends on many factors.
The patient’s weight: heavy people will of course experience more wear and tear than lighter people; the patient’s mobility: people who are more active may experience more wear and tear; surgical technique: surgery with good soft tissue balance results in significantly better outcomes than surgery with defects.
Prosthesis quality: If all the above factors are at an average level, the survival rate of the prosthesis using 20 years is 85%-90%; our hospital now uses super wear-resistant knee products of high cross-linked polyethylene can basically exclude the failure of the prosthesis due to oxidative wear of polyethylene, which increases the life of the prosthesis to more than 25 years and has also been widely adopted by major hospitals in China.
7. How long does a knee replacement surgery take?
Generally, the operation time for a single joint replacement is about 60-90 minutes, and the anesthesia preparation time is about 30 minutes. However, if it is a complex surgery such as severe flexion and deformation of the joint or joint revision, the surgery time will be extended.
How long do I need to stay in the hospital for knee replacement surgery?
After hospitalization, the patient’s physical condition is first checked, cardiopulmonary function is evaluated, and a surgical plan is developed, which takes about 1-2 days. After the surgery, if you recover well, you can be discharged to a rehabilitation center or at home for functional exercises after 1 week. The usual length of stay for joint replacement surgery is about 10 days.
9. How far can I recover after knee replacement?
After a successful knee replacement surgery, if you actively cooperate with your doctor’s instructions for rehabilitation, you will be able to resume your normal life within 1-3 months. Pain relief is the most basic goal; you can stand, sit, walk, go up and down stairs, ride a bicycle, etc. without any discomfort at all. If your soft tissues are in good condition, with the use of a specially designed high flexion knee prosthesis, you can also squat and kneel safely without fear of damaging the prosthesis.
X. What should the patient do before hospitalization?
(1) Stop smoking as this will reduce the risk of surgical complications.
(2) Maintain a positive and optimistic attitude.
(3) Ensure good physical condition to avoid infection. Infection can allow bacteria to spread through your body during surgery and infect your newly replaced joint. Before hospitalization, take care to avoid gum abscesses, urinary tract infections, tinea pedis, pneumonia, and influenza.