Knee replacement surgery: what you need to know

With the prevalence of arthritis in India, knee replacement surgeries have become very popular among people that suffer from serious cases of osteoarthritis. Every year more than 170-180 million people suffer from arthritis in India. Joint replacement procedures such as knee replacement surgery have only become popular in the last few years with the developments in the fields of medical science. Today over 2 lakh knee replacement surgeries are performed in India every year.

For patients suffering from advanced arthritis where other treatment options such as medication and physical therapy are no longer able to help you alleviate the pain and offer mobility, you should consider going for knee replacement surgery. Knee replacement surgeries have become very safe today. You can get the surgery as a minimally invasive procedure, making it a very safe procedure with a fast recovery time. Let's look at the recovery time, risks involved, and the exercises patients need to perform post a knee replacement surgery.

Recovery Time

A knee replacement surgery can be performed as minimally invasive surgery, as mentioned above. The recovery time for your surgery depends on the type of procedure you went through. On average, you can expect the recovery time post-surgery to range between 6 weeks to 18 weeks, depending on the type of knee replacement surgery you go through.

The recovery process of a knee replacement surgery has some crucial key moments that a patient needs to go through to facilitate a faster recovery time from the surgery. From the first day after the surgery, the patient is encouraged to start the movement with help from a physical therapist provided by the hospital. Initially, doctors will provide walking aids such as a walker, cane, or crutches to help patients get back to their feet.

After a few weeks of walking practice with walking aids and physical therapy, patients will feel the pain of arthritis go away, and they will slowly be able to get back their mobility and ability to move freely. Patients can expect swelling around their knee for quite a long period of time, as much as a year, because of the surgery, but the swelling will not affect your mobility or cause any more pain than your arthritis. It takes time for the tissues and muscles to heal after the surgery around your new knee, which causes the swelling.

Exercises

Physical exercise and therapy are key to fast recovery after knee replacement surgery. Physical therapists will guide patients with various movement exercises to help them reduce pain and swelling. Doctors always suggest that patients get fit before the surgery, so there are sets of exercises that you need to regularly perform before and after the surgery, respectively.

Some of the exercises that patients have to do before the surgery are

• Clamshells

• Chair pushups

• Lying kicks

• Thigh squeezes

• Knee bending 

Some of the exercises patients have to do after the surgery are:

• Ankle pumps

• Straight leg raises

• Sitting supported knee bends

• Quadriceps sets

Risks

Knee replacement is a serious surgery that does come with certain risks. With advancements in medical science today, the risks have been minimized greatly, but some risks are still involved with knee replacement surgery procedures. Let's look at some of the risks involved.

• Infection

Infection is one of the biggest risks when it comes to knee replacement surgery. Infection is a serious side effect of the surgery and requires immediate medical assistance. Statistically, it has been seen that within the first 90 days following the surgery, the risk of infection remains the highest. To stay safe, patients need to diligently follow doctor's orders, keep the wound clean, and consume the antibiotics as and when prescribed by the doctor.

• Blood Clots

Blood clots are a common risk for any surgical procedure. However, the risk for blood clots increases when you go for orthopedic surgery. Blood clots can appear anytime during the surgery to up to two weeks after the surgery. Blood clots need to be checked out by doctors as they can pose a threat to the patient's life.

Conclusion

Knee replacement surgery has provided thousands of people suffering from arthritis a shot at relief from the excruciating pain and loss of mobility around the country. As a serious surgical procedure with some risks involved, you need to go for the best medical care to ensure your safety and fast recovery after the knee replacement surgery. You must visit Medipulse Hospital in Jodhpur for the best knee replacement surgery. As the best private and tertiary care hospital in Jodhpur, Medipulse hospital offers the best quality care led by experienced doctors and medical staff that are experienced in helping patients go through knee replacement surgeries comfortably and ensure their fast recovery.