Factors To Consider Before Opting For Knee Surgery

By Dr. Ramneek Mahajan in Orthopaedics & Joint Replacement

Oct 18 , 2022 | 2 min read

Arthritis is one of the most common disorders that affect joints. It primarily affects people later in life, but it has started affecting people in their early forties. While there are many forms of arthritis, the most common is knee osteoarthritis.

Arthritis of the Knee

It happens when the cartilage in the knee joint breaks down, thus exposing the underlying bone, which rubs together, thereby leading to soreness of the knee, which swells and becomes stiff too. The friction makes knees hurt, leading to severe pain. It directly affects the quality of life by confining the person's mobility.

When is knee surgery required?

Osteoarthritis of the knee is a slowly progressive inflammatory disease which, if in the initial period diagnosed, can be slowed down, but it is inevitable to stop its progression. Many treatments are available to slow its progression and ease the patient's symptoms accordingly. Your doctor will first try non-surgical treatments before recommending surgery.

How do you go about the knee surgery?

The first step would be to get an opinion from a good surgeon. A good hospital is also important. This means choosing a hospital with quality care and multidisciplinary specialities backing up the surgeon. As in the case of elderly patients, most suffer from other ailments like diabetes, BP, heart disease, and other ageing-related diseases. An institution with all these departments under one roof is the best place to be operated in.

Which technology to use for knee surgery

Patients are bombarded with the latest technology offering various benefits, which confuses them. Hence I would suggest the decision of the technology to be used be left to your surgeon, who is seasoned and well-equipped to handle any technology with compassion. The doctor is the best decision maker to decide if the patient needs computer-aided or robotic technology to perform the surgery.

Drawbacks of robotic surgery in knee replacement

The biggest drawback with robotic technology is that it is brand specific. That means it is provided by different companies and locked to its own knee systems. So, other brand implants cannot be used with that robotic technology. But the human body is not made like a machine. Every knee is different, and it is impossible to fit in one particular kind of implant in every person! Thus, the benefit of these systems is limited at present. Which knee system will suit which patient depends upon the patient's profile, like body weight, size of bones, age, damage done by osteoarthritis, etc.

World Arthritis Day 2022: Theme

"It's in your hands. Take action." That means you need to be proactive and positive in your need to get mobile. In our modern world today, we have the capabilities and technology which provide more precision and perfection for every surgery. In the current times of high life expectancy and active lifestyles, quality of life should be the keyword. A positive outlook on the surgery goes a long way toward better outcomes.

A good knee implant usually should last a patient life; thus, patients are advised to engage with the treating surgeon to ask him to use implants with global clinical data, the evidence behind it, and world-over literature supporting its efficacy for better results.

Take home message I'd like to end by saying, keep an open mind and a positive attitude. Once you choose, trust your surgeon. In the hands of an expert surgeon and with a good post-surgical mobility plan, a total knee replacement success rate is incredibly high.