What’s involved in knee replacement?
When your knee is replaced, worn-out, damaged, and diseased natural parts will be removed and new, efficient, artificial prosthetic joints will be put in their place.
A prosthetic joint works just like a real, natural, healthy joint. It allows you to go back to enjoying all the physical activities you used to enjoy without knee pain.
Must my knees be in severely bad shape before I can have them replaced?
You are the only person who can make this decision. Once you have an evaluation by an orthopedist, you will just need to consider the procedure and the effect it will make on your life, and decide for yourself.
If your knees hurt all the time, you may have a tendency to avoid using them. This can cause health problems like a weakening of the muscles around the knees. This only makes your knee pain worse.
If you have tried other options like physical therapy and medication, without relief, it may be time for you to consider joint replacement.
Click here to learn more about torn ACL surgery.
Minimally Invasive Knee Joint Replacement (MIS)
When you have MIS, specialized techniques will be used. These techniques let the doctor do major surgery without making any large incisions. That is why this procedure is called minimally invasive. There is less trauma to the soft tissues because a much smaller incision is made.
This is a tremendous improvement over traditional knee replacement surgery in many ways. MIS can mean a very short hospital stay, a speedy recovery, and very little, if any scarring. However, MIS is not the answer for everyone.
A thorough consultation with your orthopedist will let you know whether or not MIS is the answer for you.
What are the risks of MIS?
Even though, MIS is much less invasive than standard surgery, it is still a major operation.
Whenever major surgery is performed, complications may arise. Happily, these are usually easy to avoid or mitigate.
As for driving and working, how long must I wait to return to my regular daily activities?
This is another decision that you will make for yourself on consideration of the advice of your orthopedist and instructions from your doctor and surgeon. The amount of time you will need to rest may be quite different from the amount that is correct for another person.
Click here to learn more about knee arthroscopy.