5 COMMON QUESTIONS & ANSWERS ABOUT THE TOTAL KNEE REPLACEMENT

5 COMMON QUESTIONS & ANSWERS ABOUT THE TOTAL KNEE REPLACEMENT

When you start googling the treatment you need, the information you gather might be too much to handle. Sometimes you might be looking for a little, simple question and its answer. Here on this page with our surgeon Dr. Burak Onvural we decided to give answers to 6 frequently asked questions.

1- What is Knee Replacement Surgery? What is being replaced?

One of the most common questions, yet it's one of the most important. The more accurate term for knee replacement surgery is knee arthroplasty. Arthroplasty is a joint treatment by remodeling the joint that makes the problem and replacing it with plastic and metal components

Briefly, the replaced thing is the patient's joint. The newly replaced artificial joint behaves like a biological joint which gives you mobility and maneuverability.

2- Is Knee Replacement surgery painful? Is it going to hurt after the surgery?

Because of the anesthetics, you will not feel pain during your surgery. After your surgery, there will be inevitable pain but do not imagine something "too much". If you're with an experienced team, then everything needed will be done to minimize your pain after the surgery.

Your surgeon may think a nerve block is needed. The nerve block is a local anesthesia injection that eases your pain by numbing the nerves.

After your surgery, and during your hospital stay you will receive IV painkillers and medications to manage the pain.

When you leave the hospital you will have your prescribed medications such as pills and tablets to ease the pain if you feel that's necessary.

Following days you will feel much better, especially with your physical therapy.

Please mind that knee replacement surgery's main goal is making your life easier, comfortable, and away from the pain. The pain you're going to feel after your surgery will be nothing compared to the pain you felt before the surgery. We aim to give you healthy and painless knees!

3- Do I have to buy any special equipment?

All medical garments or also known as medical compression garments will be prepared by the hospital staff.

Your doctor will tell you if you need any special equipment or not. Every patient's capabilities and recovery stages are different. That's why sometimes cranes, walkers, or canes (stick) are needed.

Some doctors suggest CPM (continuous passive motion) machines for their patients. However, there is no statistical success rate for these machines. If this special machine is required for your case then you will get a good explanation from your surgeon.

4- How long the artificial knee joint will last? Will it be "worn-out"?

We want to answer this question with two different aspects. Firstly, our clinic's equipment and components’ lifespan is about 20-25 years for the artificial knee joint after the knee replacement surgery. The equipment quality, component quality, post-op therapy, surgeon's talent, and age affect the effectiveness and outcome of the surgery.

It is difficult to gather the right information from the last 25 years, so global statistics also need to be explained. As can be read on Harvard's page (https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/how-long-will-my-hip-or-knee-replacement-last-2018071914272) the 80s and 90s medical advancements could only offer 10 or 15 years for artificial joints. However, a newly made research (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28209371/) shows us only %10.3 of knee replacement patients needed a revision surgery by 20 years. So this means nearly %90 of the patients experienced +20 years with an artificial joint without any revision treatment is needed. That is a huge advancement for orthopedics and knee replacement surgery.

5- How can I know that I need Knee Replacement surgery?

Am I a good candidate? Can I avoid surgery? Would exercises solve my problem? Is swimming enough for my knee pain? These are the questions we are trying to answer every day. If you're looking for the exact answer, we highly suggest you contact us or drop your contact info to us. Avoiding the surgery is possible, however sometimes knee replacement (total knee replacement or partial knee replacement) is inevitable for our patients. The patient can be consulted properly after the patient's X-rays are seen by our doctor. A professional clinic, surgeon, or clinic member must know the most important fundamental rule in medicine "every patient is a different case"

So, exercises may solve your problem or maybe you might be a real good candidate for knee replacement surgery, but please make your decision after you talk with our doctor. We will inform you as much as we can.

If you like to learn more about our knee replacement process, you can just click here to contact us. We’d be happy to answer your questions.