What To Know Before The Knee Surgeon Performs Your Knee Repairs

If your knees are feeling old or you have had an injury to your knee, then knee surgery may be a part of your future. If you think you may need a knee replacement, consult a knee surgeon and he will do an examination to determine the extent of the damage, which will determine what kind of surgery you need.

The average knee replacement surgery includes removing the ends of the bone and joint and replacing them with new joint surfaces, usually made of plastic, porcelain, or metal. Most of the time the replacement includes the upper parts of the shinbone and the lower part of the leg bone. Sometimes the damage only requires a partial placement, such as the patella, only.

When movement becomes too difficult, the pain becomes too severe, and the medicine no longer works to curb the pain, see a knee surgeon. He will do some x-rays on the joint. These will tell him exactly what the extent of the damage is and will help determine what type of surgery you may be a candidate for. However, if you are deemed unhealthy, have an infection, thinning bones, thigh muscle weakness, and you are overweight the surgeon may not recommend that you get your knee replaced as it could cause extra pressures on the new joint.

When the surgery is over, you will be on IV antibiotics for at least a day as well as medicine to control the pain and to prevent blood clots. Queasiness and constipation are common complaints for the first few days. You will also have a large bandage on the knee and likely a tube to drain off any excess fluids to eliminate fluid on the joint as it heals. These will usually be covered by a compression stocking to prevent the blood from clotting. Your knee surgeon will recommend that you begin bearing weight on it within a day and you will begin working with a therapist almost immediately to help you gain movement back faster.

As you continue the recovery process you will begin to take less pain medicine and will gradually walk more often as the pain lessens. You will also begin the rehabilitation process with the hope that your knee will once be useable for normal daily activities. The amount of rehab that you need will depend on the extent of your surgery.

As with any other surgery, there are risks involved. These include blood clots which can block the blood flow to the heart or lungs, infection, injury to the nerves around the joint, range of motion problems, trouble healing around the wound, kneecap dislocation or fracture, and lack of stability of the joint due to improper joint alignment.

If you are thinking of having knee surgery, consult a knee surgeon and follow the guidelines that he gives so that you are prepared for any complications that come up and the healing that is required.