YOUR KNEE BEARS YOUR WEIGHT

In the first of the series, Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. Neelam V. Ramana Reddy, Star Hospitals, gives a quick insight into Knee Replacement Surgery and information around it. “Technological advancement allows the patient to walk the same day post-surgery,” he says.

Define Knee Replacement. Why and when is it necessary?

When there is a lot of pain in the knee, the person affected cannot walk or carry out other activities. We then offer Knee Replacement as a surgical procedure. As part of the procedure, we take out all the worn-out bone and cartilage and then replace it with metal and plastic implants. This has been a standardized method for the last 30 years. A lot more Knee Replacement Surgeries have been performed in the last ten years, mostly because of higher awareness about the treatment, and also because of advancement in surgical techniques as well as implants techniques.

What leads to this intense pain in the knees?

Just as when you age your hair turns grey or you start experiencing wear and tear in the back or in the neck, the knees also begin to have problems…especially because they bear your weight, and have therefore suffered wear and tear over the years. Such wear and tear causes pain. In an early stage, the pain is mild. In later stages, the pain could be severe, and it gets difficult to get through one’s daily activities. There is a pain even while sleeping. When one gets to a stage of arthritis, which is seen as the late stage, one has to undergo Knee Replacement.

So, should we take it that arthritic knees come with age?

Yes. The changes begin to manifest after the age of forty. However, there are some who probably - because of being overweight, or not exercising in their earlier years - may contract arthritis at a young age.

Has it got anything to do with gender?

Generally, it is women who suffer from Knee Arthritis. For every four ladies who have the disease, there is only one male with arthritis. Basically, it affects women more than it affects men.

What are the various methods to treat Knee Arthritis?

The treatment depends on the stage of the Arthritis. During the early stage, when the disease is mild, X-rays and MRI help. We give medicines, offer physiotherapy, make them exercise and suggest lifestyle changes. If a patient is overweight, it is necessary that he or she loses weight. For every 5 to 10 percent of weight loss, the pain comes down by 50 per cent. In later stages, we conduct physiotherapy and give expensive injections to the knee. If the pain still persists or does not reduce, then we suggest surgical options. There are various kinds of surgeries. Knee Arthroscopy, Partial Knee Replacement or Total Knee Replacement.  

Which is the latest of them all?

Partial and Total Knee Replacement. In performing these surgeries, we now make use of minimal invasion. Earlier the surgeries had larger incisions. But for the last 3 to 4 years, we follow minimal invasive fast track surgeries. This helps the patients to get back to their normal lives quickly. Earlier, patients would be made to stay on in the hospital for 10 to 15 days post-surgery. They would walk after 4 to 5 days post completion of the surgery. But now, we make them walk on the same day. They can start driving in four to six weeks. Basically, the recovery is much faster, thanks to surgical, anesthesia and instrumentation improvement.

Can both knees be replaced at the same time?

Yes.

For Appointment: Dr. Neelam V. Ramana Reddy, Star Hospitals