Wear and tear of the joints is sometimes inevitable. Even though we know what harms the joints and how to protect them, lifestyle habits are still damaging them.
That's a pity, because a timely visit to a specialist can significantly slow down the progression of the disease and save your joints. Joint wear and tear can be treated with medication and arthroscopy can help in the early stages, but if conservative treatment fails to work or if the disease has progressed too far, knee replacement is needed.
Knee replacement
Knee replacement surgery is often performed and is usually successful. Decades of practice in such operations have led to the discovery of the best methods and tools. Today, we have advanced techniques that have enabled millions of such operations to restore patients' joie de vivre, allowing them to forget about joint pain, immobility and other discomforts, restoring the functions of the joint that were damaged by the disease, and enabling them to return to their normal life, routines and activities.
What are the indications for knee replacement?
- Severe pain - on a ten-point pain scale, this would be a 7-10 (the pain lasts for a long time and painkillers do not help);
- Impaired joint function, limping (the patient rests the rod while walking, limps, etc.);
- Radiological signs (deformation of joint structures, etc.).
What are knee implants?
Knee implants consist of metal alloy and plastic components. The former is located in the lower part of the femur and the plastic component in the top of the tibia. Modern knee implants, which are based on advanced technology, have excellent properties and restore the joint with high precision. These knee implants therefore help to restore the impaired functions of the knee joint and eliminate or reduce as much as possible the discomfort felt by the patient, allowing him/her to return to a normal life, enjoying many activities that were impossible in the face of severe pain or restricted movement due to a damaged joint.
However, it is true that the whole joint does not have to be replaced during the replacement, sometimes it is enough to replace part of it. It depends on how much the joint is damaged. Only your doctor can make the best decision.
After knee replacement, rehabilitation starts the next day and the patient is encouraged to walk. After spending up to 10 days in hospital, the patient is discharged to a rehabilitation facility. General physiotherapy usually takes another 1.5-3 months.
It should also be mentioned that Lithuania has recently used a different - innovative - liquid implant for such surgery.
In any case, it is important to protect the knee joint during rehabilitation. It is worth purchasing a special ORTHOPEDIC EQUIPMENT to help stabilise the joint.
