Is Knee Surgery For Me

The knee is the largest joint in the body and supports nearly your whole weight

. This is why most visits to an Orthopaedic surgeon are related to the knee, a complex joint that can receive many injuries usually caused by trauma, misalignment, degeneration and other conditions like arthritis.

The more serious injuries require surgery however a majority of minor knee pain can be treated at home with the use of rest and ice packs. You will have seen many athletes with knee injuries using the R.I.C.E, method which stands for "rest, ice, compression and elevation. Stay off the knee and only walk with crutches, apply the ice to control swelling and use a compression elastic bandage but loose enough so that it does not cause pain and finally keep the knee elevated.

The most important advice is to seek treatment as soon as possible, especially if you:

Have swelling at the injury site, hear a popping noise and feel your knee give out at the time of the injury, cannot move the knee, have severe pain or begin limping.

If you are active in sport or your job involves repetitive knee strain there may come a time when knee replacement surgery is your only option. Knee replacement surgery involves replacing the weight bearing surface of the knee joint in order to relieve pain and disability. Full and partial knee replacement surgery are the two main procedures that your surgeon will discuss with you. In general the damaged or diseased joint surface will be replaced with metal and plastic components that are shaped to allow the knee to move without restriction.

Knee replacement involves a considerable amount of post operative pain that includes vigorous physical rehabilitation. The recovery period for the patient to restore motion, strength and function so that they may walk with the aid of a cane may take up to 6 weeks or more dependent upon the patient's age, total recovery to normal mobility could take up to 3 months.

Knee surgery complication rates are fairly low. Infection of the joint is the most serious of complications which occurs in under 1% of patients. Nerve injuries occur in 1-2% of patients, deep vein thrombosis occurs in up to 15% of patients and is symptomatic in 2-3%, persistent pain or stiffness occurs in 8-23% of patients, at 5 years prosthesis failure occurs in approximately 2% of patients.

by: Mike Mazza

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