Knee joint replacement

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Knee joint replacement prosthesis

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The surgeon will use special instruments to work through the small cuts. In minimally invasive surgery, your surgeon will:

• Cut and remove bone and cartilage
• Move some muscles and other tissues, but less than in open (traditional) surgery. Fewer muscles around the knee may need to be cut or detached.
• Use the same implants as in open surgery, or use newer implants

The most common reason to have a knee joint replaced is to relieve severe arthritis pain. Your doctor may recommend knee joint replacement when:

• You're having symptoms of knee arthritis, such as:
  • You can't sleep through the night because of knee pain
  • Your knee pain limits or keeps you from being able to do your normal activities, such as bathing, preparing meals, and household chores
  • You can't walk and take care of yourself
• Your knee pain has not improved with other treatment
• You understand what surgery and recovery will be like

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Knee joint replacement is usually done in people ages 60 and older. Younger people who have a knee joint replaced may put extra stress on the artificial knee and cause it to wear out early.

Some medical problems may lead your doctor to recommend that you not have the surgery. Some of these problems are:

• Knee infection
• Morbid obesity (weighing over 300 pounds)
• Poor blood flow in the leg
• Unhealthy skin around your knee
• Very weak quadriceps, the muscles in the front of your thigh. Weak quadriceps could make it very hard for you to walk and use your knee.

Always tell your doctor or nurse what drugs you are taking, even drugs, supplements, or herbs you bought without a prescription.

During the 2 weeks before your surgery:

• Prepare your home.
• Two weeks before surgery you may be asked to stop taking drugs that make it harder for your blood to clot. These include aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), naproxen (Naprosyn, Aleve), and other drugs.
• Ask your doctor which drugs you should still take on the day of your surgery.
• If you have diabetes, heart disease, or other medical conditions, your surgeon will ask you to see the doctor who treats you for these conditions.
• Tell your doctor if you have been drinking a lot of alcohol, more than 1 or 2 drinks a day.
• If you smoke, you need to stop. Ask your doctor or nurse for help. Smoking will slow down wound and bone healing. Your recovery overall may not be as good if you keep smoking.
• Always let your doctor know about any cold, flu, fever, herpes breakout, or other illness you may have before your surgery.
• You may want to visit a physical therapist to learn some exercises to do before surgery.
• Practice using a cane, walker, crutches, or a wheelchair, especially the correct ways to:
  • Get in and out of the shower
  • Go up and down stairs
  • Sit down to use the toilet and stand up after using the toilet
  • Use the shower chair