Knee replacement surgery
In case of failure of the previously mentioned alternative treatments to show any more progress and noticeable benefits, knee replacement surgery is the last resort. Your medical status should be evaluated carefully by your orthopedic surgeon before making such a procedure.
Who is supposed to get KR surgery?
We will cover the most frequent candidates for it. An orthopedic evaluation done by an orthopedic surgeon determines whether you are a good candidate for a knee replacement or not. If your osteoarthritis has been diagnosed as late-staged and nonsurgical therapies are no longer relieving your symptoms, your orthopedic surgeon will recommend knee replacement surgery. If you complain of chronic pain from your entire knee or under your kneecap, you are more likely to have a total knee replacement. In case of mild to moderate joint damage especially if it is limited to one compartment of the knee, partial (unicompartmental) knee replacement will be more suitable for you than a TKR as modern unicompartmental knee replacements have demonstrated excellent long-term results in both young and old patients.
Medical history has a major role in the process of proper patient selection. Your orthopedic surgeon will ask you several questions including whether had surgical intervention in it or not, the degree of pain, and your general health. The doctor may also ask you to get some imaging tests such as X-rays or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. These images help your doctor determine the extent of damage and deformity in the bone of your knee joint. Several x-ray images from different positions will be taken to inspect bones forming the joint closely while MRI scans better show soft tissues like cartilage and ligaments to be evaluated better. You will notice that your physician is concerned more about the location of the pain to determine what kind of knee surgeries you are eligible to have. Physical examination is as important as every previous step as your knee will have to be examined carefully so that your doctor can test its range of motion, the ability of function, durability, and response to the stimulus.
Knee replacements are considered to be one of the most successful procedures in all of medicine, so if you are about to have your knee implant, no need to feel worried about it. Knee replacement surgery has four main types which are:
- Total knee replacement.
- Partial (unicompartmental) knee replacement.
- Kneecap replacement (patellofemoral arthroplasty)
- Complex or revision knee replacement.
ยป To know more about them and which will fit your needs, you might need to read the following paragraph carefully.
