Operation Duration
Hospital Stay
Total Stay
Anesthesia
Approximate Recovery
Knee Replacement
Knee Replacement Surgery
If your knee is severely damaged by arthritis or injury, it may be hard for you to perform simple activities, such as walking or climbing stairs. You may even begin to feel pain when sitting or lying down.
If medications and using walking supports are no longer helpful, you may want to consider total knee replacement surgery. It is a safe and effective procedure to relieve pain, correct leg deformity, and help you resume normal activities.
Who is a good candidate for knee replacement surgery?
People who experience the following are good candidates for the surgery:
• Severe knee pain or stiffness that limits everyday activities. It may be hard to walk more than a few blocks without significant pain and it may be necessary to use a cane or walker.
• Moderate or severe knee pain while resting.
• Chronic knee inflammation and swelling that does not improve with rest or medications.
• Knee deformity — a bowing in or out of the knee
• Failure to improve with treatments such as anti-inflammatory medications, cortisone injections, lubricating injections, physio-therapy, or other surgeries
There are no absolute age or weight restrictions for this surgery.
Preoperative Evaluation
During the preoperative evaluation, the following will be examined:
• Medical history. Your orthopaedic surgeon will gather information about your general health and ask you about the extent of your knee pain,
• Physical examination. The surgeon will assess knee motion, stability, strength, and overall alignment.
• X-rays. These images help to determine the damage and deformity in your knee.
• Other tests. Occasionally blood tests or advanced imaging, such as a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan may be needed to determine the condition of the bone and soft tissues of your knee.
Surgical Procedure
The surgery requires anesthesia. It can be general anesthesia or spinal anesthesia.
You'll be given an intravenous antibiotic before, during and after the procedure to help prevent post-surgical infection.
The surgery lasts about one to two hours.
Recovery Process
You will start walking the following day and you'll likely receive blood thinners and wear support hose or compression boots to further protect against swelling and clotting.
You'll be asked to do frequent exercises and gradually increase your activity level. A physical therapist will show you how to exercise your new knee. After you leave the hospital, you'll continue physio- therapy at home or at a center.
