You’ve been having chronic knee pain, and your symptoms have not improved. Actually, they are getting worse. Your doctor recommends surgery you never heard of. It is called knee replacement surgery. If you have never heard of it, it is normal to feel a bit insecure and hesitant about it.
That’s why in this blog post, we will explore some of the common questions patients have when contemplating total knee replacement surgery and answer the most common questions.
After reading, you will have a complete overview of what knee replacement surgery is, the types of surgery you can have, its benefits, risks, procedures, preoperative tests, preparation, and the brief scope of the recovery time.
What is knee replacement surgery?
Knee replacement surgery is a procedure to replace a damaged, diseased, or worn-out knee joint with an artificial core prosthetic device. There are two main types of knee replacement surgery: total knee replacement and partial knee replacement.
It is an invasive procedure, but there are many misunderstandings about it. People usually think it is about replacing every tissue in the joint, but that’s not the case. In knee replacement surgery, you will have a substantial portion of natural tissue; the only thing that changes is the articulatory surface.
Types of knee replacement surgery
There are two types of knee replacement surgery:
- Total knee replacement surgery involves replacing the entire knee joint with an artificial joint
- Partial knee replacement involves replacing only the most damaged parts of the knee.
Surgery is typically recommended when other treatments have failed to alleviate the pain and disability caused by knee problems. Then, one type will be recommended, depending on the extent of the damage.
Partial knee replacement is usually recommended when only a knee compartment is involved. Since a reduced knee portion is compromised, recovery time is shorter. However, some patients who underwent partial knee replacement ultimately need total knee replacement surgery after a few years.