The knee is a hook-like joint that consists of tendons, bones, ligaments, and meniscus. It is a synovial joint that is surrounded by a joint capsule, which provides stability by holding the bones of the knee in their proper position.
The knee is designed to perform specific functions in your body, like bearing the weight of the body, providing stability to your body and helping to move backward and forward. It is a critical joint in our body that allows movement of the upper and lower parts of our leg. Movements in the knee joint are essential to do day-to-day activities like running, walking and sitting.
But unfortunately, the knee is the most unprotected part of the body, which is vulnerable to injuries. Knee pain depends on many factors like age, injury, and a lot of stress on the knees. Pain and swollen knees are the most common signs of a knee injury. General knee injuries include fracture, dislocation of knees, and sprain and tear of soft tissues, like ligaments.
Today, knee replacement surgery, also known as Arthroplasty or Total Knee Replacement (TKR), is the most common surgery performed in India and worldwide. The success rate of this surgery in India is almost 100 percent. In this surgery, the surgeon removes the damaged cartilage and bone from the knee and replaces it with an artificial knee joint made of plastic and metal. There’s also something called Partial Knee Replacement – the doctor would recommend the right surgery to be performed depending on the patient’s condition.
Now let’s dig into the topic a little deeper to understand the signs that indicate you may need a knee replacement surgery:
Unbearable Pain
If you have mild or severe knee pain during day and night or while resting, and this pain is affecting your day-to-day activities like walking, bathing, getting up from the bed and if this knee pain is generally accompanied by swelling, it is time to see your doctor and discuss it. In this condition, your doctor may recommend knee replacement surgery.
Medications
When vital and anti-inflammatory medicines like aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen are not reducing your knee pain, you may need knee replacement surgery.
Difference in Appearance
If your knee looks different even if it has not suffered any injury or trauma or if there is swelling around your knee and it has shifted from its original position, then it is time you may need surgical consultation. In this case, you may need to undergo knee replacement surgery.
Failure of Alternative Treatment
Surgery is considered to be the last alternative even by doctors. Before suggesting surgery, doctors prescribe various other treatments, ranging from medicine and exercise to therapy and more. When all these treatments fail to give you relief, surgery is the only way to bring your life back to normal.
Severe Arthritis Pain
Arthritis is an inflammation in the joints. This disease can affect any part of your body, but it commonly affects the knee joints. Swelling, numbness and severe pain are signs of arthritis. If your arthritis pain is getting worse with each passing day and other treatments have not worked for you, you may have lost a significant amount of cartilage. In this situation, your doctor may recommend you to undergo knee replacement surgery.
Affecting Normal Life
You can consider going through a knee replacement surgery if your knee pain affects your day-to-day activities like walking, sitting, climbing etc. Even if you are not moving around and still your knee pain is getting worse day by day, your doctor may suggest knee replacement surgery.
Stiffness in Knee
A stiff knee is a common problem among old people. This problem can be caused by injuries, arthritis and physical stress on your knees like extra body weight. With pain in the knees, if you are also experiencing some kind of movement in the knee area, which feels like something is rubbing, catching on, or causing the knees to freeze up, this stiffness can go down to the entire leg and foot. If you are experiencing all these signs, you are always recommended to consult a good doctor who can guide you better.
In a Nutshell
Now that you know the possible signs that indicate you may need knee replacement surgery, don’t ignore these symptoms. If you have started experiencing these symptoms, it means a lot of damage has already been done to your knees. So, never take these signs lightly.
Knee replacement surgeries are mostly performed in patients in their fifties; however, age is not the only deciding factor for this surgery. Anyone experiencing these symptoms at any age should immediately see a doctor and take proper medications. If your doctor has ruled out all other treatment options and recommended undergoing surgery, do take it seriously and get it done at the earliest. Your doctor would have suggested surgery only after weighing the pros and cons.
