Knee Operations Can Give You Back Your Freedom

The most commonly done knee operations are knee replacement surgeries. These surgeons perform joint replacement of the knee. This could be total or partial knee replacement. Such a surgery becomes necessary when rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis have caused the joint to wear off completely. The surfaces of the knee joint cannot bear the weight and even the normal day-to-day movement becomes difficult. In a total knee replacement operation, the surgeon discards completely, the cartilage from the thighbone, kneecap, shinbone and the damaged bone. Then he or she replaces this with an artificial knee joint, called the prosthesis. The prosthesis or the artificial knee is made of plastics, polymers and metal alloys.

When patients are suffering from knee problems, the surgeon performs Arthroscopy on them. This is a procedure to diagnose the knee problem and to treat it. The surgeon makes an incision on the knee and then inserts an instrument known as arthroscope. This instrument allows the surgeon to get a view of the interior. He or she sends images from the inside of the knee to a television monitor, through fiber optics on the arthroscope. This will help the surgeon to determine if a knee replacement operation is required.

The knee operations are safe and have a very good success rate of approximately 90-95%. After the surgery, excessive activity or exertion could cause the knee to wear down again. In such a case, another replacement might be required. However, this is not common as statistics reveal that 90-95% of knee implants perform perfectly even for ten to fifteen years after the surgery. With moderate levels of activity, most of the knee implants function for about fifteen years or more. If the patient does strenuous activity, it might need a new replacement. With the kind of medical care and expertise available today, complications and infection have reduced largely.

The reason why physicians recommend a knee surgery is to prevent the bones of the knee joint from rubbing against each other. This rubbing causes a lot of knee pain. With an artificial knee joint, the new surface provided relieves the person from pain. Knee replacement surgeries enable people to live better lives without knee pain. If the patient takes proper care and rest, he or she can be active in their movements after the surgery for many years.

With success rates being over ninety percent, knee operations are perfectly safe and satisfying. People have improved the quality of their lives by getting freedom from knee pain. Knee pain could make even normal daily activities tiresome and difficult. People who have pain problems find it difficult to even walk or move about without effort. After the surgery, the quality of life enhances as movement becomes pain-free and swift. People with knee pains are not able to do several tasks but after the surgery, they begin to live a normal healthy life.