Knee Replacement Surgery is very common these days. Here are a few tips for those considering having this procedure.
Choosing the right surgeon is key to a good outcome. I suggest you go to an orthopedic floor of a local hospital and ask the nurses there who they would recommend.
Don't wait until your joints are extremely bad to get them replaced. The surgery is harder the longer you wait and so is the recovery. Pick a great doctor and work as a team to decide if you need a new knee and when the time is right for you to have it done if so. A good doctor will exhaust all conservative treatment options before taking you to the operating room.
Should you have both knees replaced at one time or just do one at a time? That will depend on you, your doctor, and your general health. Some prefer to get it over with all at once. Others prefer to have one non-operative leg to walk on while one is healing.
After surgery, will you go home or to rehab? If rehab is your choice, will it be acute or sub-acute? Acute rehabilitation has about 3 hours of therapy a day and can take patients that are medically complicated. Sub-acute rehab offers less therapy each day but is also less expensive than acute rehab. It is getting more difficult to qualify for acute rehab with changes in insurance.
Many people do not know that there is an option of having a custom fit prosthetic knee. The patient's leg is imaged and the images are sent to the prosthetic manufacturer which then makes a prosthetic that fits the patients bone structure perfectly.
You will be at an increased risk for getting a blood clot after surgery, so will likely be on some sort of DVT (deep vein thrombosis) prophylaxis for several weeks. Coumadin is probably the most common. Other options include lovenox (tummy shots), xarelto, and aspirin. Keep the leg or legs elevated to decrease swelling but don't put a pillow right under the knee. This will increase your chances of getting a blood clot. Wiggle your toes and feet when in bed to keep blood moving.
Many people react to the tape used during surgery with large, ugly blisters. They will pop and heal quickly and are usually nothing to worry about. There will be varying amounts of redness, swelling, and heat, also.
Some doctors will have their patients use a Continuous Passive Motion (CPM) machine in bed. This machine will bend and straighten the leg over and over. Some doctors don't recommend them anymore saying they are not helpful.
There will be a lot of pain after surgery. Ice packs will help. Be careful with pain medications and constipation. A lot of surgical patients are also on iron and calcium, which are also constipating. And often patients drink less water to not have to go to the bathroom as often, but this makes constipation worse. Start early with a bowel program before you become miserably constipated.
As you are healing from surgery make sure you are getting enough protein, vitamin C, and zinc. Those are essential nutrients for healing.
Choosing the right surgeon is key to a good outcome. I suggest you go to an orthopedic floor of a local hospital and ask the nurses there who they would recommend.
Don't wait until your joints are extremely bad to get them replaced. The surgery is harder the longer you wait and so is the recovery. Pick a great doctor and work as a team to decide if you need a new knee and when the time is right for you to have it done if so. A good doctor will exhaust all conservative treatment options before taking you to the operating room.
Should you have both knees replaced at one time or just do one at a time? That will depend on you, your doctor, and your general health. Some prefer to get it over with all at once. Others prefer to have one non-operative leg to walk on while one is healing.
After surgery, will you go home or to rehab? If rehab is your choice, will it be acute or sub-acute? Acute rehabilitation has about 3 hours of therapy a day and can take patients that are medically complicated. Sub-acute rehab offers less therapy each day but is also less expensive than acute rehab. It is getting more difficult to qualify for acute rehab with changes in insurance.
Many people do not know that there is an option of having a custom fit prosthetic knee. The patient's leg is imaged and the images are sent to the prosthetic manufacturer which then makes a prosthetic that fits the patients bone structure perfectly.
You will be at an increased risk for getting a blood clot after surgery, so will likely be on some sort of DVT (deep vein thrombosis) prophylaxis for several weeks. Coumadin is probably the most common. Other options include lovenox (tummy shots), xarelto, and aspirin. Keep the leg or legs elevated to decrease swelling but don't put a pillow right under the knee. This will increase your chances of getting a blood clot. Wiggle your toes and feet when in bed to keep blood moving.
Many people react to the tape used during surgery with large, ugly blisters. They will pop and heal quickly and are usually nothing to worry about. There will be varying amounts of redness, swelling, and heat, also.
Some doctors will have their patients use a Continuous Passive Motion (CPM) machine in bed. This machine will bend and straighten the leg over and over. Some doctors don't recommend them anymore saying they are not helpful.
There will be a lot of pain after surgery. Ice packs will help. Be careful with pain medications and constipation. A lot of surgical patients are also on iron and calcium, which are also constipating. And often patients drink less water to not have to go to the bathroom as often, but this makes constipation worse. Start early with a bowel program before you become miserably constipated.
As you are healing from surgery make sure you are getting enough protein, vitamin C, and zinc. Those are essential nutrients for healing.
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