From Franciscan Health
If you have been suffering from debilitating knee pain for months or even years, it may be time to talk with your doctor about knee replacement surgery.
“If knee pain is starting to affect a patient’s quality of life, or if it is stopping them from doing things that they enjoy, then it may be time to consider knee replacement,” said Timothy J. Williams, MD, an orthopedic surgeon with Franciscan Health Center for Hip & Knee Surgery in Mooresville, Indiana.
Symptoms of Osteoarthritis of the Knee
Most patients undergoing knee replacement surgery do so to relieve pain caused by osteoarthritis of the knee, which causes the cushioning cartilage in the knee joint to break down.
Four Signs of Osteoarthritis of the Knee
-Knee pain even when resting
-Knee stiffness, or loss of flexibility
-Knee swelling
-Severe pain making walking, or climbing stairs difficult.
Non-Surgical Treatment Options
Non-surgical interventions will be prescribed as the first step in managing your knee pain. These could include resting and using heat, or ice on the joint, plus taking over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications, like Advil or Aleve, to reduce pain and inflammation.
A series of hydrocortisone shots to help reduce pain may also be prescribed. Additionally, you may be encouraged to do targeted physical therapy or add exercises at home to improve knee flexibility and combat stiffness.
“There are plenty of non-surgical options that can help keep the arthritis pain tolerable,” said Dr. Williams.
Undergoing Knee Replacement Surgery
When these non-surgical interventions lose effectiveness, it may be time to consider knee replacement surgery. While many patients who have knee replacements are in their 60s or older, you don’t have to put off surgery until a certain age.
“We frequently do knee replacement surgery on patients younger than 60, who perhaps had an injury that caused arthritis to develop earlier than it otherwise might have,” added Dr. Williams.
Knee Replacement Surgery: What to Expect
Surgical procedures for knee replacement have advanced considerably in recent years – to the point that many patients can go home the same day as their knee replacement surgery.
“Many of our younger, healthier patients can do the procedure on an outpatient basis and don’t need to stay overnight in the hospital at all,” noted Dr. Williams.
To ease recovery, your physician will likely recommend only replacing one knee at a time, even if you have pain in both knees.
Following surgery, patients will complete roughly one week of in-home physical therapy. They will continue therapy two to three times per week at a physical therapy clinic for three to four additional weeks. Once physical therapy is complete, knee replacement patients can return to full physical activity.
“Following recovery, patients can bike, swim, walk, play golf, play tennis – practically any activity they may want to enjoy,” said Dr. Williams. “The only activities we don’t recommend are high-impact activities like running.”
If you’ve been dealing with debilitating knee pain, talk with your doctor about the next steps to get your pain under control – including whether you may be a candidate for knee surgery.
