A Guide to Artificial Knee Joints If the knee joint is severely diseased, it will cause pain and make it difficult for the patient to move around and cope with his/her daily life. However, orthopedic surgeons can safely replace the knee joint with an artificial one by using modern technology, materials, and excellent surgical techniques to remove the pain and restore the patient’s ability to perform daily activities. The knee joint is located between the thigh and the calf, and consists of the articular cartilage of the distal femur and the articular cartilage of the proximal tibia and fibula. On both sides of the articular surface of the tibia, there are half of the lunate cartilage, whose function is to absorb the pressure between the knee joints. It is covered by ligaments and muscles. The patella protects the knee joint, the cruciate ligament prevents the knee joint from shifting, and there is a synovial fluid sac in the knee joint, in which the cells can secrete joint fluid, which lubricates the joint to make it move freely. (i) Normal knee joint (ii) Abnormal knee joint: (the whole knee joint is turned inward like o-leg or turned outward like x-leg) (iii) Artificial knee joint The artificial knee joint consists of femur, tibia and patella, the femur is made of cobalt alloy, the tibia is made of titanium alloy and polymerized polyethylene, and the patella is made of polymerized polyethylene. Your orthopedic surgeon will choose the best artificial knee joint prosthesis for your knee joint to replace the damaged joint surface. Once the knee joint becomes diseased, the joint space narrows, the cartilage of the joint surface is damaged by wear and tear, or even defective and deformed, causing pain and limitation of daily life. Common causes include osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis commonly known as bone spurs), rheumatoid arthritis, traumatic arthritis, gouty arthritis and osteonecrosis. Surgical fitting of artificial knee joints can improve the following: (1) Elimination of pain caused by knee diseases. (2) Correcting the deformity of the knee joint. (3) Increase the mobility of the knee joint. (4) Improve and promote knee function. When you are admitted to the hospital, you will be required to undergo the following examinations: (1) Consultation and physical examination. (2) Chest x-ray. (3) Knee x-ray. (4) Blood test. (5) Urinalysis. (6) Electrocardiogram. Pre-operative precautions In order to make the operation go smoothly and to recover health quickly: (1) Do not take adult medicines indiscriminately. (2) Drink plenty of water to prevent urinary tract infection. (3) Do not smoke or drink. (4) Clean your body to prevent infection. (5) Do not inject or scrape on the affected limbs. (6) Cut nails flat. Care in the Recovery Room After Surgery When you wake up in the recovery room after surgery, you may feel chills, weakness and light headache, and then gradually feel the pain of the wound. The recovery room nurse will provide the following care for the patient: (1) Measure blood pressure, respiration and pulse rate. (2) Encourage deep breathing and coughing. (3) Administer pain relievers as directed by the physician if the wound is painful. (4) Measure the amount of fluid draining from the wound of the affected limb. (5) Notify the nurse if there is nausea, vomiting or desire to urinate. (6) After the situation is stabilized, the patient will be accompanied by staff and relatives to return to the ward. Care in the ward after surgery (1) The nurse or family members will assist in turning the patient every two hours. (2) The affected limb will be wrapped with an elastic bandage to prevent blood seepage and dislocation of the wound, and the wound drain for draining blood is usually removed after two or three days. (3) Observe the skin color, temperature, and pain at the end of the affected limb. (4) Apply ice, change positions and relaxation techniques to reduce wound pain, and if necessary, take oral or injectable painkillers as prescribed by the doctor. (5) Keep the wound clean and dry after the surgery, and the stitches will be removed in about 10-14 days. Nine, post-surgery rehabilitation exercise after artificial knee surgery, mainly to strengthen the muscle strength around the knee joint, to restore the mobility of the knee joint, until the patient can take care of themselves. (1) On the first day after the surgery, follow the physician’s instructions to practice knee motion with a knee passive motion device (cpm), usually starting at 30 degrees and increasing by 10 degrees every day according to the patient’s tolerance level, to help the patient bend the knee to 90 degrees or more before discharge from the hospital. (2) Under the guidance of medical staff and physiotherapists, we will do knee muscle rehabilitation training and train patients how to get on and off the bed, use walking aids (crutches) to walk or go up and down the stairs correctly, and only partially load-bearing is allowed, so that the patients can regain daily life functions as soon as possible. Precautions after discharge (1) After returning home, continue to do knee bending, extension and muscle rehabilitation exercises. (2) Keep the wound clean and dry, you can take a shower four weeks after the operation. After the operation, there will be numbness on the outside of the wound, which is a normal phenomenon. (3) If you have a tooth extraction, cold or other illnesses, tell your doctor that you have had your artificial knee joint replaced so that antibiotics can be given to prevent infection. (4) In general, after surgery, the affected limb should not be fully weight-bearing for six weeks, and after three months, there is no need to use a walker/crutches. (5) After six months, you can swim, play golf and other mild sports, but avoid jumping, running, tennis, basketball and other strenuous sports. (6) Please follow the doctor’s instructions to return to the clinic regularly, and return to the clinic for examination if there are any of the following conditions: redness, swelling, heat and pain in the wound, or abnormal purulent secretion. The affected limb is swollen and painful and you cannot increase the amount of activity. Re-injury of the knee joint due to a fall or contusion.