A knee replacement surgery is a routine and commonly seen operation, especially for people older than 60 years of age. But everyone who suffers from knee-related health concerns does not always require a replacement surgery.
“When someone’s been suffering from knee-related trouble, we try to make surgery the last option” say Dr. Suraj Prakash & Dr. Grover. “If it’s evident that alternative methods will not help in making the situation better, that’s when we turn to surgery.”
A knee replacement surgery, while common and routine, is still a significant surgery to undergo. “The recovery period takes a while and requires frequent sessions of physiotherapy before your quality of life can be restored.”
However, a replaced knee can last for twenty years or longer and the surgical methods being used these days are quite painless and can be minimally invasive. So there’s no reason to be afraid of getting a knee surgery.
How do you decide if you should get a knee replacement surgery?
One of the more telling signs in favour of getting a knee replacement is when your range of motion deteriorates and your mobility is reduced. “Over time, as the knee keeps deteriorating, it becomes more and more difficult to keep moving” says Dr. Manocha. “It’s at that point when your pain begins to interfere with your life. Walking up and down the stairs becomes a difficult effort and the pain makes it difficult to get through your day.”
A surgery can also help when knee deformities like knock-knees or becoming bowlegged begin to set in and make daily tasks tedious, embarrassing, or painful.
Diabetes, High blood pressure, weight issues and knee replacement surgery
“We can’t overstate how important a healthy, mobile lifestyle is” reminds Dr. Rachna Kucheria, Geriatric Specialist. “Many people who are eligible for knee surgery also tend to have other conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, or heart disease.
Which makes sense, if you think about it. If you’re having trouble with walking or exercising, controlling your blood sugar or your blood pressure also becomes difficult. So if you need a knee replacement surgery, you’re looking at restoring more than your mobility.”
Any extra weight that you carry puts pressure on your knees, and if you’re significantly overweight, that pressure can also contribute to your knee being damaged. Sometimes, even after people have lost the extra weight and revamped their lifestyle, their knee issues continue to persist, making knee replacement surgery the only viable option.
Depending on an individual’s circumstances and overall well-being, a knee replacement surgery can go a long way in relieving pain, increasing mobility, and making daily tasks a lot more effortless as age progresses.
Please let us know if you have any questions and we’ll be happy to answer them for you.