What is Knee Replacement Surgery?

Knee prosthesis surgery is a successful surgical procedure that perfectly and permanently relieves pain in knee arthrosis and improves the functional status of patients. The aim of knee replacement surgery is to ensure that the patient has a painless and mobile joint and that the quality of daily life is at the highest level.

 Knee arthrosis (gonarthrosis), is the deterioration of the cartilage surfaces of the joint due to age or previous traumas. The pain, which usually starts in the forties, continues to increase over the years. Initially, the pain caused by pressing on it turns into a severe pain that does not go away even when resting. This pain and decrease in knee motion cause serious limitations in the social life of the patient.

 With a successful knee prosthesis surgery on the right patient, the patient gets rid of pain, regains his mobility and can return to his old comfortable days that he longed for.

Who Is A Candidate For Knee Replacement?

Total knee prosthesis is applied to patients who have pain and deformity in their knees, whose knee pain does not go away despite the use of rest, drugs and physical therapy methods, whose activities of daily living such as walking and climbing stairs are severely restricted, and who have severe damage to the articular cartilage on the radiograph.

Key questions that guide the physician when deciding on knee replacement surgery include:

• Does the patient have night pain? (pain that continues even at rest)?
• Does the patient need to take painkillers every day due to knee pain?
• Does the patient have difficulty going up and down stairs?
• Is there a significant decrease in the patient's walking distance during the day?

Life Estimation of Knee Joint Prosthesis

Total knee replacement has a lifespan of 15-25 years. The life of the prosthesis varies according to the technique of the surgeon, the quality of the prosthesis, weight and activity level of the patient, and the quality of the bone.

Surgical Process

The surgery can be performed with general anesthesia or regional anesthesia. In this preference, the patient's co-morbidities are evaluated, but the patient's request is more important. Postoperative pain control is provided with preoperative epidural catheter or peripheral nerve block applications. The duration of the operation takes an average of 1.5 hours.

Other day after the operation, the patient can stand up with the help of crutches and see his personal needs. After the surgery, the rehabilitation-exercise programs that are specially programmed for the patient are explained to the patient in detail. After the prosthesis surgery, the patient reaches a level where he can fully return to his daily life in an average of 6 weeks

What are the Risks of Knee Replacement Surgery?

There are certain risks in the early and late periods after the prosthesis is applied. Here are some examples of possible complications:

• Complications related to anesthesia,
• Damage to nerves and vessels during surgery,
• Fracture that may occur in the bone during the placement of the prosthesis,
• excessive blood loss,
• Postoperative infection around the wound or around the prosthesis,
• Thromboembolism (blood clot in the leg veins, problems may occur in other organs later),
• Numerous examples can be given, such as loosening of the prosthesis in the early period.

How Long Does the Pain Last After Knee Replacement Surgery?

Usually, after the operation, the patient may feel pain for the first two days. This condition can usually be minimized or completely relieved by using pain medication or an epidural catheter. During the three-week period after surgery, there may be occasional mild pain. However, very severe and persistent pain may indicate that the prosthesis is loose or not fully seated. However, it can also occur due to conditions such as infection, muscle weakness. Therefore, if you feel severe and chronic pain, you should inform your doctor. In this process, taking painkillers prescribed by the doctor will help relieve the pain.

If you want to get more detailed information about the knee prosthesis recovery process , you can read our related article.