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Hello!
And welcome to One Care Medical Center, an international orthopedic hospital in Coimbatore. My name is Dr Salam and I am a full time practicing ortho surgeon in Coimbatore.
If you are considering the prospect of undergoing a knee replacement surgery in coimbatore, you have landed on the perfect page
In this round up article I am going to tell you everything about Knee replacement surgery.
The knee joint is a hinge joint and provides motion were the thigh meets the lower leg. The bone of the thigh (femur) meets the bone of the leg (tibia) at the knee joint.
During a typical knee replacement surgery, the end of the femur bone is removed and replaced with a metallic shell.
Furthermore, the end of the tibia is also replaced with a plastic piece and a metal stem.
These components that replace the original bony structure of joint are called prosthesis.
In some variants of the surgery tissues that support the knee joint on either side are also replaced with a polyethylene post.
However is some other methods of surgery, these stabilizing ligaments are retained.
While there are number of reasons to undergo a knee replacement surgery, some common reasons include
1. You are suffering from severe pain and stiffness. And this makes it hard for you to walk, climb up stairs or get up from a chair
2. The pain is so nagging that you are unable to go to sleep
3. Your knee joint constantly swells up
4. You see visible knee deformity
5. You are no longer responding to medications or physical therapy as such
Before actually doing the surgery, your ortho doctor will systematically evaluate the adjacent joints carefully. This is exceedingly important to ensure a proper recovery from the surgery.
Sometimes if the nearby joint is diseased or damaged, doing a knee replacement may not yield any optimal benefits as such.
Moreover, if the patient is on blood thinning medications such as warfarin or coumadin, it has to be discontinued. Routine blood tests of liver and renal functions must also be done.
Anemia if present should be corrected and an X-Ray of the lungs combined with an ECG to assess cardiac rythm should also be taken.
A very important point to consider is that, a knee replacement is bound to be less effective if the weight of the patient is greater than 200 pounds, since there is a risk of dislocation.
Usually the knee replacement surgery will typically take between 1-2 hours at best. The surgery is usually done under general Anaesthesia.
In a minimally invasive procedure, the surgical wound created is not more than 4 inches.
The advantage of course is that, there is less damage to the muscles and tendons of the joint.
After the procedure is complete, you will most probably be up on your feet but with some support like crutches, bars and a walker.
In about 4 weeks you will definitely see an excellent improvement in motion and strength.
Regular physiotherapy is then all that is required post this to repair your knee joint completely. Of course how long you require physical therapy really depends on your overall health.
CPM (Continous passive motion) is a device that is used to speed recovery by attaching it to your operated leg.
The machine constantly moves the leg through various degrees of motion while you are relaxing.
This will help improve your overall range of motion and flexibility in general.
It is best for patients to continue physical therapy at home post joint replacement for optimal recovery.
The exercises are done to strengthen the thigh and calf muscles of the joint. Moreover, aggressive physical activities should be technically avoided.
Swimming is completely allowed since swimming does not exert pressure on the joints as such.
Patients with total knee replacements may require repeat surgery in the event of fracture or injury or joint dislocation. Repeat surgeries usually do not have a very good prognosis and is generally troublesome!. Better be safe than sorry, if you have had a knee replacement surgery
I hope you enjoyed reading this short article knee replacement surgery!. Do share this with all your loved ones.
If you are considering undergoing a knee replacement surgery in Coimbatore, do consider dropping into our hospital for a consultation!
Feel free to get in touch below!
