I. Indications for knee joint replacement
For patients with advanced osteoarthritis of the knee joint who have severe limitation of joint flexion and extension, deformity, and serious impact on the quality of life. Patients with osteoarthritis may be eligible for total knee replacement if their condition also meets the following criteria
①Age over 60 years old, joint replacement can be considered in the following cases: painful flat walking, painful knee joint in going up and down stairs, playing soft leg, inability to exert force, inability to downstroke, with swelling, which has affected daily life and necessary activities, and ineffective after treatment with Chinese and Western medicine.
②The medial or lateral joint space of the knee joint is significantly narrowed, indicating damage to the articular cartilage and meniscus.
(3) The knee joint has an “O” leg or “X” leg, i.e., a deformity such as inversion or valgus of the knee. If the disease continues to develop, wear and tear will further aggravate the deformity, increasing the complexity of joint replacement and affecting the surgical outcome.
④The flexion and extension activities of the knee joint are significantly limited due to the joint spur, which has begun to affect daily life and work.
⑤ Severe bone formation and MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) of severe meniscal degenerative damage, osteochondral destruction, and subchondral cystic degeneration are seen on x-ray films.
Second, why joint replacement
1. To relieve the patient’s pain: for patients with severe arthritis, the effect of drugs is short-lived relief, and once the drugs are stopped, the pain recurs, and the effect of drugs becomes less and less effective as the disease progresses. After joint replacement, this problem will be better solved.
2. Improve knee function: Patients with severe osteoarthritis often cannot straighten their knee joints or bend and squat. After joint replacement, knee extension and flexion can mostly reach 120 degrees.
3, improve the quality of life of patients: more activities will lead to swelling, pain and functional limitations of the knee joint, many patients often go to the toilet because of pain, squatting, serious afraid to leave the house, not to mention exercise and travel. After joint replacement patients will be able to engage in walking, bicycling, swimming, ballroom dancing, and walking at a certain speed.
4, secondary to the decline in general health and prolonged life: Patients with severe osteoarthritis often rely on reduced activity to reduce pain. This can lead to weight gain, osteoporosis, decreased respiratory system function, and decreased cardiovascular system function. Disuse atrophy of the muscles of the limbs and a rapid decline in muscle strength in turn aggravate joint instability and make the joints more painful when moving, in addition to a significant increase in the chance of falling and injury, which can easily lead to hip fractures, etc. This inevitably leads to a significant decrease in the patient’s physical fitness. The patient’s health will get worse and worse if the pain, swelling and dysfunction of the joints are solved by reducing activities for a long time.
5, to prevent long-term medication damage to patients: some patients have been refusing surgical treatment after the disease, and can only rely on drugs to relieve pain for a long time. Long-term use of analgesics causes chronic gastritis, gastric ulcer, and in serious cases, gastric perforation. Long-term use of medication can cause damage to the liver and kidney functions of patients, in addition to having a significant impact on the blood system.
6, protect the contralateral knee and lumbar spine: many patients at the beginning of the disease only one side of the knee, due to long-term pain on the affected side of the knee, do not dare to weight, walking and various activities when the main burden naturally falls on the opposite side of the healthy knee, over time, the healthy side because of the long-term burden is too heavy, also began to appear pain, swelling and other manifestations of osteoarthritis, to the determination to undergo joint replacement surgery, the original healthy contralateral leg When the decision is made to undergo joint replacement surgery, the originally healthy opposite leg becomes the diseased leg.
In addition, pain and degeneration of the lumbar spine occur due to abnormal gait and decreased muscle strength, and severe patients develop symptoms of lumbar disc herniation. If the non-surgical treatment is ineffective, we can protect the health of the knee joint and lumbar spine by timely surgery and average weight-bearing of both knees after surgery.
Third, the characteristics of joint replacement surgery in our department
1. Foreign training of doctors: The doctors in charge of joint replacement have received strict training abroad and participate in academic exchanges at home and abroad throughout the year to keep abreast of the latest technology and methods at home and abroad. The preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative practices of joint replacement are in line with international standards, mature, safe and reliable.
safe and reliable.
2. We have a special joint replacement treatment team: the treatment team members from the operator, the first assistant, and the second assistant are fixed year-round, and the ward is equipped with a rehabilitation doctor to ensure the best results for joint replacement patients.
3. The right artificial knee joint for you: We use the right joint prosthesis to restore the mobility and stability of the knee joint.
4. Post-operative joint infections: When an infection occurs after a knee replacement, the surgery fails and not only is tens of thousands of dollars spent in vain, but more money will be spent on revision surgery. We do everything possible to prevent infection before, during and after surgery.
5. Strive to prevent deep vein thrombosis and its serious complications: deep vein thrombosis is a common complication after joint replacement surgery, and in some areas, dislodged vein thrombosis leads to pulmonary embolism with serious consequences. In the preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative work, we use the recognized measures at home and abroad to prevent deep vein thrombosis.