Have you been experiencing knee pain for a long period of time and it won’t go away? Have you tried everything at home but nothing worked for lasting relief?
Perhaps, it is time you consider a Total Knee Replacement. This procedure removes chronic pain from the knees and you get ready to live a pain-free life once again.
Table of Contents
What is a Total Knee Replacement?
A Total Knee Replacement is a surgical procedure where damaged parts of the knee are removed surgically and then artificial parts are used to resurface the same joint.
Prostheses or artificial parts used in Total Knee Replacement are made up of metal and plastic.
If you want to know about the cost, visit the following link: total knee replacement surgery cost.
When should you go for a Total Knee Replacement surgery?
TKR or Total Knee Replacement is primarily done to cure chronic and intense knee pain and help to cure immobility issues.
Your knees might be painful due to any of the following reasons:
Osteoarthritis: This is a weight-bearing joint-related degenerative disorder. This condition, known as osteoarthritis, refers to a worn-out knee where articular cartilage is completely damaged causing bone ends to rub against each other and causing pain while you mobilise the knee joints.
Rheumatoid Arthritis: This is an autoimmune disease where your immune system starts attacking your body’s healthy tissues, including joints. And you get joint inflammation with chronic pain.
Post-Traumatic Arthritis: If you have fallen down recently hurting your knee, you may suffer from post-traumatic arthritis. The name itself suggests that it is an arthritis that happens after a trauma.
Deformities: If you have deformities like bowlegs or knock-knee, a Total Knee Replacement may be advised for you. TKR can correct such knee deformities, allowing you to lead a better life.
Benefits of TKR or Total Knee Replacement
There are various advantages of knee replacements, irrespective of the fact whether they are partial or total.
The first benefit is that you don’t have to bear the pain any more. Conditions like advanced stages of osteoarthritis or joint inflammation due to any other reason can cause a lot of physical distress around the affected knees. So, TKR helps eliminate knee pain.
Another benefit is that now you can walk or mobilise your knee without pain.
There will be no more morning stiffness as that is very typical with osteoarthritis. After TKR, your damaged knee will be resurfaced with the help of artificial parts.
You will be more mentally happy.
And, ultimately, a Total Knee Replacement will increase quality of life as you will be able to lead an active lifestyle.
Post-Replacement Care
Once you have replaced your knee, it is also important not to forget about post-replacement care.
Make sure that you don’t start strenuous activities right away. You need to rest your operated knees after replacements adequately. For a normal and healthy recovery, it is crucial to provide sufficient rest for your knees.
Furthermore, don’t skip any of your physiotherapy sessions so your replaced knees don’t take longer to get their full range of mobility back in time.
Pain management is another post-replacement care and rehabilitation element. After your surgery, the doctor must have already prescribed painkillers. Furthermore, don’t forget to take your antibiotics on time.
After the surgery, antibiotics must be taken as per the doctor’s instructions. Negligence in this regard will result in severe forms of infections.
If you experience any signs of complications like knee pain isn’t going away or there has been an increase in swelling, make sure that you meet your treating doctor before it gets worse.
Stay away from falling. Make sure you stay protected and avoid activities containing high risks of accidents.
If you have walking problems initially, you can use assistive devices like walkers, and crutches as well to go through the initial phases of recovery.
For many patients, wounds take longer than normal to heal. In that case, you must consider the possibility of a high sugar level. Check your blood sugar and see if it is within a normal range or above.
If you are interested, consider the following link: knee replacement recovery time.
Foods to consider after surgery
After a knee replacement, pay attention to your food choices.
Junk Foods: Don’t eat junk food as they always contain low nutrients, and thus, you won’t be able to supply enough nutrition to your body. It will hamper a healthy recovery process.
Fizzy and Sweet Beverages: If you are obsessed with soft drinks, make sure you cut back on them. Such beverages are always very high in sugar content and can slow down the wound healing process.
Calcium and Vitamin D: For better bone health, ensure enough calcium. However, calcium isn’t enough. You will have to take vitamin D as well. This vitamin facilitates the absorption of calcium within your body.
Protein: To increase muscle strength around the replaced joint, eat protein up to the recommended level. It is easy for non-vegetarians to ensure the recommended protein intake though it becomes a challenge for vegetarian human beings.
Vegetarian people can take their protein from nuts, pulses, milk, yoghurt etc.
Antioxidants: Our body produces free radicals all the time. These are nothing but highly reactive species of elements that interact at the cellular level causing damage and harm to the surrounding structures.
To combat the too-much presence of such free radicals and the associated degeneration, your body must have enough antioxidants—these are substances that neutralise the effects of free radicals.
Vegetables like broccoli, spinach, carrots, etc., are always high in antioxidants.
Conclusion
So, we need a Total Knee Replacement when the knee has stopped working completely, in addition to causing immense pain and immobility issues. This procedure removes the damaged parts and resurfaces the joint with the help of artificial parts.
An experienced surgeon offers the best replacements with the lowest risks of complications. Thus, there is nothing to worry about.
