Knee Replacement Surgery
What is Knee Osteoarthritis (Gonarthrosis)?
Knee osteoarthritis is a serious disease that causes pain and limited mobility in patients due to the wearing and loss of joint cartilage that makes up the knee joint over the years. Considering the increasing average life expectancies in recent times, its incidence is gradually increasing and affecting approximately 10% of the population at some point in their lives.
Causes of Knee Osteoarthritis
Factors such as poor nutrition and being overweight (increased body mass index), a history of trauma/fracture around the knee, excessive strain on the knee joint due to daily life or occupational conditions, age, and hereditary factors can be counted among the most common causes of knee osteoarthritis.
Symptoms of Knee Osteoarthritis
Symptoms such as pain in the knee and surrounding joints, limited function, decreased joint mobility, swelling and feeling of stiffness in the joints, shortening of walking distance and time, and night pain are frequently encountered in knee osteoarthritis.
Treatments of Knee Osteoarthritis
In primary care treatment, preventive treatments are preferred. Lifestyle changes, weight loss recommendations, and some medical drug treatments are applied. Patients are given exercise recommendations that they can apply at home, and rehabilitation is aimed with physiotherapy applications.
Knee Osteoarthritis Surgery
If all of these preventive measures fail and pain and mobility problems seriously affect daily life, surgical treatment is preferred. In the surgical treatment of knee osteoarthritis, tibial osteotomies, unicompartmental knee arthroplasty, and total knee arthroplasty are the most commonly preferred surgical applications.
Total Knee Replacement Surgery
It is an operation in which the damaged joint surfaces that form the knee joint of the femur and tibia bones are removed by surgical procedure and orthopedic implants made of metal and polyethylene materials are placed instead. It is a surgery that provides the patient with the end of the pain complaint and the recovery of the lost knee function in advanced stage knee osteoarthritis cases and is frequently and successfully performed today.
Who Can Have Knee Replacement Surgery?
In patients with severe pain and functional limitations due to knee osteoarthritis, knee replacement surgery is the most appropriate option when drug treatment, physiotherapy, and intra-articular injection therapy fail.
What is life like after Knee Replacement Surgery?
After knee replacement surgery, patients can begin walking one day later. Knee replacement surgery is an operation that requires an average hospital stay of 2 nights. After surgery, patients are subjected to a rigorous exercise and rehabilitation program. Following appropriate surgical treatment and rehabilitation program, patients can regain a painless and functional knee joint within approximately 1 month. After completing the rehabilitation period, patients are able to perform all knee movements with their operated knee.
Orthopedic Knee Implants
With the use of advanced orthopedic implants and proper surgical procedures in patients who pay attention to their daily life, body weight, and exercise, knee replacements can be used for many years without causing problems.