Common Questions
About Joint Replacement
There are many different causes of knee pain, including injury, arthritis and infection.
It depends on the problem. Some knee pain can be treated through rehabilitation, medication, intra-articular steroid injection, splintage & other cases may require surgery.
Knee replacement is a routine surgery performed on over 600,000 people worldwide each year. Over 90% of people who have had Total Knee Replacement experience an improvement in knee pain and function.
The decision to have total knee replacement surgery should be a cooperative one between you, your family, your family physician, and your orthopedic surgeon.
There are several reasons why your doctor may recommend knee replacement surgery.
- A knee that has become bowed as a result of severe arthritis.
- Severe knee pain or stiffness that limits your everyday activities, including walking, climbing stairs, and getting in and out of chairs. You may find it hard to walk more than a few blocks without significant pain and you may need to use a cane or walker.
- Moderate or severe knee pain while resting, either day or night.
- Chronic knee inflammation and swelling that does not improve with rest or medications.
- Failure to substantially improve with other treatments such as anti-inflammatory medications, cortisone injections, lubricating injections, physical therapy, splintges, knee braces or other surgeries.
There are no absolute age or weight restrictions for total knee replacement surgery. Recommendations for surgery are based on a patient’s pain and disability, not age. Most patients who undergo total knee replacement are age 50 to 80, surgeons evaluate patients individually. Total knee replacements have been performed successfully at all ages, from the young teenager with juvenile arthritis to the elderly patient with degenerative arthritis.
Several modifications can make your home easier during your recovery.
- Safety bars or a secure handrail in your shower or bath.
- Secure handrails along your stairways.
- A stable chair for your early recovery with a firm seat cushion (and a height of 18 to 20 inches), a firm back, two arms, and a footstool for intermittent leg elevation.
- A toilet seat riser with arms, if you have a low toilet.
- A stable shower bench or chair for bathing.
- Removing all loose carpets and cords.
- A temporary living space on the same floor because walking up or down stairs will be more difficult during your early recovery.
Currently, more than 90% of modern total knee replacements are still functioning well 15 years after the surgery. Following all doctors instructions after surgery and taking care to protect your knee replacement and your general health are important ways you can contribute to the final success of your surgery.
Everyone heals from their surgery at a different pace. In most cases, however, patient will be restricted to using a walker or crutches for 1 month after operation. Patient will then be allowed to advance to a cane outdoors and no support around the house for several weeks… By about 3 months, one can walk without a limp… There may be continued improvement in muscle strength and endurance for 6 to 12 months after surgery. Patient will gradually return to normal function without any assistance.
Approximately 12 to 15 days post-operatively.
Routinely knee immobilizer is not required. it is only applied to those patients who had correction of severe deformity pre-op to prevent reappearance of contractures.
Initially strong oral pain medications are prescribed for 7-10 days.Patient do require off & on some low dose pain relieving medication for about 2-3 months
- hospital
You will be instructed by physical therapist on appropriate exercises and given a list to follow. In general, swimming and a stationary bicycle are good exercise options. What positions should I avoid? Avoid using a pillow or towel roll behind the knee for any length of time.
You may travel as soon as you feel comfortable. It is recommended that you get up to stretch or walk at least once an hour when taking long trips. This is important to help prevent blood clots. During the first 2 months after surgery, you should not travel for extended periods as that would interfere with your physical therapy.
With normal use and activity, every knee replacement implant begins to wear in its plastic spacer. Excessive activity or weight may speed up this normal wear and may cause the knee replacement to loosen and become painful. Therefore, avoid high-impact activities such as running, jogging, jumping, or other high-impact sports such as, downhill skiing, and vigorous racquet sports such as singles tennis or squash for the rest of life after surgery.
In the months following surgery, patients are generally advised to take it easy and modify their positioning to keep pressure off of the joint while it’s healing. As always, it is best to consult with your doctor about what’s safe for your particular condition
- Avoiding repetitive heavy lifting.
- Avoiding excessive stair climbing.
- Maintaining appropriate weight.
- Staying healthy and active.
- Avoiding “impact loading” sports such as jogging, downhill skiing and high impact aerobics.
- Consulting your surgeon before beginning any new sport or activity.
- Thinking before you move.
- Avoiding any physical activities involving quick stop-start motion, twisting or impact stresses.
- Avoiding excessive bending when weight bearing, like climbing steep stairs.
- Not lifting or pushing heavy objects.
- Not kneeling.
- Avoiding low seating surfaces and chairs.
- See your orthopedic surgeon periodically for a routine follow-up examination and x-rays, usually once a year.
- Clicking noise with knee motion.
- Skin numbness on the outer (lateral) part of your knee.
- Swelling around the knee and/or lower leg.
- Warmth around the knee.
- “Pins and needles” feeling at or near the incision.
- Dark or red incision line.
- Bumps under the skin along the incision. Occasionally, the sutures used to close the wound can be felt.
- Increased bruising.
(Call the doctor immediately if you experience any of these).
- Increasing redness, particularly spreading from the incision.
- Increasing pain and swelling.
- Fever (>101° F).
- Persistent drainage from your wound.
- Calf swelling or pain, particularly associated with ankle motion.
- Ankle swelling that does not decrease or resolve overnight.
- Bleeding gums or blood in urine/stool.