Your Age

Surgeons often recommend knee replacements for patients above the age of 55 years. This is because younger patients have been found to experience higher failure rates and wearing out of replacements. That may create the need for a revision surgery in the future.

Your Condition

Total knee replacement if often recommended to patients with arthritis or other conditions that wear out the cartilage in the joint. If you’re having trouble walking, suffer with night pain and all non-surgical treatment has failed, you may be a candidate. Severe pain and impaired function in the knee joint could also qualify you for a total knee replacement surgery.

Your doctor will assess muscle strength, swelling, and range of motion, ligament stability, and knee alignment. X-rays and MRI may be used to view the damage in the knee and its cause.

Your doctor will check whether you have undergone non-invasive treatments for pain and management of your knee problems. These could include pain medication, physical therapy, hyaluronic acid injections and / or steroid injections. The knee replacement surgery will be recommended only after other treatments have failed to yield positive outcomes.

Once an orthopaedic surgeon can determine whether your pain and mobility limitations are severe enough to make you a candidate for a knee replacement, you would be asked to undergo a total knee replacement surgery.

Your Decision

Discuss your surgery, pre- and post-surgery requirements, recovery period and your expectations with your surgeon before you are scheduled for surgery.

Pre-Surgery

Before you go for the surgery, you may want to re-arrange your furniture, keeps things where they are easily accessible, stock your pantry and arrange for someone to help you for the initial days after surgery.

Post-Surgery

It is important that you follow your surgeon’s instructions closely for the recovery period. Rest after surgery is important but it is critical that you mobilize early and carefully to develop control of the new knee.

You will have to exercise your quadriceps, follow proper diet, care for the wounds, and exercise appropriately even when you may not feel up to it. Remember that temporary discomfort is a small price to pay for the properly functioning knees that will serve you for decades to come.

If you want to consult an experienced Birmingham knee specialist, call Bromsgrove Knee Clinic at 0800 8 250 250. Bromsgrove Knee Clinic/Droitwich Knee clinic is one of the reputed knee replacement clinics in Birmingham with skilled and experienced surgeons, physiotherapists and staff. They use a unique Get Better Soon (GBS) recovery pathway during knee replacement surgery.