Thanks to advanced rheumatoid arthritis treatment procedures in the past two decades, fewer patients need joint replacements. But when joint damage poses a problem in your daily routine, replacement surgery is the ideal solution.
Total knee and joint replacement surgeries have come a long way. With the best orthopedic doctor in Delhi, you no longer have to lie in the hospital bed for weeks. Instead, nowadays, patients return to their routine within a few days.
Well, no doubt, recovery takes a fair amount of time. But it may surprise you to see how quickly you would recover after the surgery. Here are some top facts you should know about joint replacement surgeries.
Who might need a Joint Replacement?
Joint replacement surgery may be ideal for patients who experience:
- Excruciating joint pain or stiffness, which prohibits them from carrying out daily chores like walking and going upstairs.
- Continuous and moderate joint pain which continues even when the patients rest.
- Depression emanating from the inability to execute daily activities.
- Deformity, where there is a noticeable arch present inside or outside of the joint
Right Time to Undergo a Knee Replacement Surgery
To be precise, there is no specific formula for deciding when to opt for knee replacement. Usually, surgery is the last resort when everything else fails. Also, the main reason to undergo surgery is excruciating pain which adversely affects your daily routine. An orthopedic surgeon would examine your knees thoroughly to assess the severity of the condition.
Preparing for Surgery
Knee arthroplasty is a major surgical procedure, and hence the patient needs to prepare a month before the set date. From pre-operative preparation to physical evaluations, there are a lot of things involved in knee replacement surgery.
Diagnostic tests would include checking blood count, urine tests, and examining how quickly the blood clots. Joint replacement surgery can involve either spinal or epidural anesthesia.
Less Pain
This is probably one of the most significant advantages of opting for joint replacement surgery. When conducted by the best orthopedic doctors, joint replacement surgeries are a success. Nowadays, with technological advancements, you won’t need a pain pump for self-administered medications.
In a majority of cases, patients receive a spinal injection which numbs their sensation from the waist for a specific duration. Local anesthetics are also used to control post-surgery pain.
Pain can be managed
Post-operative pain is often a significant cause of discomfort among patients. Thankfully, there are many ways to treat surgery-related pain. For instance, in the case of knee replacement surgeries, doctors use a femoral nerve block.
A femoral nerve block is an anesthetic injection guided by ultrasound which is administered near the femoral nerve. If the pain doesn’t subside even after this procedure, doctors administer spinal morphine.
Spinal morphine is commonly administered to patients of hip replacement surgeries. What’s more, you could also be administered oral medications for effective pain management.
Physical Therapy is the Key
Physical therapy is the key to make joint replacement surgery successful. The more you move around, the better your chances of recovery. After the completion of the surgery, you would probably see a physical therapist a couple of times per week.
However, it is also imperative to take part in the exercises once or twice a day. It would be frustrating both for the doctor and you if you opt-out of rehab afterward.
Duration of joint replacement surgeries
The best orthopedic doctor in Delhi would make an opening on the front of the knee to access the affected joint. Note that the typical length of incision doesn’t exceed more than 10 inches. During the course of the surgery, the doctor keeps your kneecap aside and slices off the impaired cartilage.
Subsequently, they substitute the affected tissue with biologically compatible components. These metal constituents are integrated to form a false joint and mimic the knee movement. A majority of joint replacement surgeries take 60 to 90 minutes to complete.
You can Replace Knuckles
Although knees and hips are the common joint replacements, the best orthopedic doctor in Delhi can also replace ankles, shoulders, or even finger joints. Substituting an artificial joint in place of a damaged one would significantly decrease pain and restore mobility.
So as you can see, joint replacement is a standard surgical procedure nowadays. There is nothing to fear about when you are opting for joint replacements. But it is imperative that you strictly follow your doctor’s suggestions before and after the surgery.
You would be asked to follow pre-surgical restrictions for optimum results. Losing weight can also help before surgery. And in case you have questions, don’t hesitate to ask your doctor. If joint pain is posing a significant threat to your mobility, it is the right time to opt for surgery.
