Overview
Total Knee Replacement: Meaning
Now, during the total knee replacement surgery procedure, the end part of the thigh bone is removed and a metal shell is placed instead. Similarly, the upper end of the leg bone is also removed and is replaced with a plastic piece having a metal stem. Now, depending on the kneecap portion during the knee pain treatment, a plastic button can also be added under the kneecap surface. These artificial components that are used during the knee replacement surgery procedure are called prosthesis.
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When Should You Consider Total Knee Replacement?
Usually, knee pain treatment is the best choice for all those patients who are facing knee joint problems/damage due to progressive arthritis, trauma, or other destructive disease.
Whatever the root cause of the damage may be, but it will lead to progressive pain and stiffness and decreased activity of the knee joint leading to the patient considering knee joint replacement surgery. And after the patients is counseled properly about the pros and cons of going under the surgery, he can take the decision of when and whether he want to go for the surgery.
Risks Involved in Total Knee Replacement Surgery
Some of the risks that have been giving hard time to patients are,
- Possibility of blood clots in the legs that can travel all the way up to the lungs, called pulmonary embolism
- Pulmonary embolism can even lead to chest pain, shortness of breath or shock to the patient
- Urinary tract infection
- Nausea and vomiting because of pain medication given to the patients
- Chronic knee pain and stiffness
- Nerve damage, blood vessel injury or knee joint bleeding
- Infection of the knee that may require reoperation if it gets serious
- Risks related to anesthesia; heart, lung, kidney damage
Pre-conditions of the Knee Replacement Surgery
To ensure the optimal outcome from the complete knee replacement surgery, doctors vigilantly evaluate the adjacent joints to the knee; hip and the ankle. This is important because if the knee replacement surgery is performed in the patient having hip or ankle joint damage, the significant and desired improvement in the function will not be obtained, instead it will become even more painful. Apart from the basic evaluation, all the medication been taken by the patient at the time of surgery are carefully reviewed. And before starting the surgery, it is better to discontinue blood thinning and anti-inflammatory medicines. Routine blood tests of liver and kidney, urine tests, chest X-ray, EKG etc are other formalities that need to be done to rule out any possible signs of anemia or heart and lung diseases. Finally, the patient is advised to loose extra pound as newest knee replacement surgery also can’t yield good results if the patient is overweight as there is a constant risk of dislocation or loosening of the replaced knee.Recovery from the Surgery
Usual time taken for total knee replacement surgery is between 1.5-3 hours. Soon after the surgery, patients are taken to the recovery time where his vital organs are constantly checked. After stabilizing, patients return to their hospital room.
Passage of urine might get difficult due to pain medication, so, a catheter is placed under the urethra to allow free passage of urine till the patient’s mobility returns, Moreover, physical therapy is another important thing for optimal and fast knee replacement surgery recovery, as this would strengthen the thigh and calf muscles. The knee replacement surgery recovery time depends from patient to patient and intensity of the operation.
Surgery Cost
The knee replacement surgery cost depends on the type of surgery been performed. The price for total knee replacement is INR 3, 40,000-5, 80,000, partial knee replacement stands somewhere between 1.50 lakhs- 2 lacs, and the minimally invasive knee replacement stand around 1.8 lakhs- 3.8lakhs.
So, you can trust any good hospital to get relief from your aching knee with the above mentioned prices.
