Best Hospital for Knee Replacement in Hyderabad | Dr Vasudeva Juvvadi at Citizens Hospitals

There are hundreds of arthritis types that affect millions of people around the world. Osteoarthritis is one such major arthritis type that affects your joints. The condition occurs when the cartilage at the ends of your joints gets damaged and worsens over time. Osteoarthritis can happen to any of the joints in your body, and the common joints affected by this condition are the hands, knees, and hip joints.

In most people, osteoarthritis symptoms are managed by following some measures such as maintaining a healthy weight, exercising daily, and taking certain treatments prescribed by a doctor. It helps to slow the progression of Osteoarthritis and can improve the functioning of arthritic joints. However, in advanced cases, surgery is necessary to treat knee osteoarthritis. So, before learning about when surgery is necessary for knee osteoarthritis, let’s learn about knee osteoarthritis.

What Is Knee Osteoarthritis?

Our joints deteriorate as we age as a part of the natural cycle over time in our lifetime. Osteoarthritis is a common chronic joint condition. A smooth and slippery substance called cartilage is located around the bony ends of your knee. The cartilage called meniscus helps in the smooth movement of the bones against one another. There is another membrane that lines the joints called synovium that produce a gel-like substance called synovial fluid for lubrication and provides nutrients, and oxygen to the cartilage.

Osteoarthritis is a chronic condition that breaks the cartilage and synovium membrane of the knee joint. In such cases, the end surface of the bones in the joint becomes rough. Knee bones lose smooth movement and get subjected to friction. When this happens, knee bones rub against each other and deteriorate over a period of time. Sometimes, the destruction of bones in the joints can lead to abnormal changes in the shape of your body parts.

Symptoms Of Knee Osteoarthritis

The symptoms of Osteoarthritis may not develop suddenly; it is a chronic condition that worsens over time. The best way to manage this condition is to consult an orthopaedic specialist if you experience any of the following symptoms:

• Intense pain during or after the joint movement
• Joint tenderness when pressure is applied on or near the joint
• Loss of range of motion
• Stiffness of joints after being inactive for some time
• Grating sensation, i.e. a popping or crackling sound is heard when you move your knee joint
• Bone spurs
• Swelling due to inflammation of the soft tissue around the joint

Early diagnosis and treatment can slow down the progression and extend the lifespan of the knee joint.

What Is Knee Replacement Surgery?

Knee replacement surgery is one of the most trending “interventions” in orthopaedics right now. It is because the artificial joints are working as natural knee joints. Yes, knee replacement is a surgical intervention also called knee arthroplasty is the process of replacing damaged knee joints with prosthetics.

The first Knee replacement took place in the year 1968, and the procedure became advanced with time. Significant development and effectiveness have been increased both in surgical materials and techniques. Over the past few decades, Total Knee Replacement(TKR) and Partial Knee Replacement(PKR) have become the most successful orthopaedic procedures of all time.

Partial Knee Replacement(PKR): A partial knee replacement(PKR) surgery involves replacing only the decayed knee parts, i.e. either the medial section, the lateral part, or the kneecap. It is also termed unicompartmental knee replacement(UKR) and is performed without harming other knee parts. These artificial components are made of plastic or metal components.

Total Knee Replacement(TKR): Total knee replacement surgery is suggested when the whole knee joint is damaged, and the process involves removing the damaged or decayed bone, cartilage & kneecap and replacing them with prosthetic joints. The artificial joints are mostly made of metal alloys or high-grade plastics.

When To Consider Knee Replacement Surgery?

The damage to the knee joints caused by Osteoarthritis can’t be reversed. But certain treatments like therapies, medication and surgery can help reduce pain and also improve the range of motion. When the treatment options mentioned below fail or in severe cases, knee replacement surgery is the best permanent solution.

• Pain relievers
• Corticosteroids Injections
• Injections to increase the lubrication
• Anti-inflammatory drugs
• Losing weight
• Exercising daily

Knee replacement surgery might be considered for many reasons; often, Osteoarthritis is among the common cause of knee replacement. Here are the most common reasons for which knee replacement surgery becomes most beneficial:

• Knee pain and stiffness of joints that limits your movements like walking, climbing stairs and not being able to sit or stand for more time.
• Knee pain which is severe even while resting
• Inflammation and swelling around the knee joint that doesn’t improve with rest or medication
• Knee deformities like bowing in or out of the knee

Early treatment can slow down the pace of damage to the joints. Still, in some cases – for instance, with severe knee osteoarthritis, the mobility is completely lost. For people who are suffering from severe knee pain, Partial Knee Replacement(PKR) or Total Knee Replacement(TKR) is better based on the damage of damage to regain lost functions.

Recovery After Knee Replacement Surgery

Any surgery performed to treat knee osteoarthritis needs some time to recover—the length of recovery depends on the type of surgery performed. The recovery period also varies from person to person and is based on the medical condition and post-surgical care taken by the patient. A knee replacement surgeon suggests physical therapy after surgery to boost the recovery process. Your physical therapist suggests some knee exercises, which help you to regain strength and a wide range of motion of your knee joint.

However, the recovery time is very quick in most cases after a knee replacement surgery. It is evident that many patients walk within days after surgery and other noticeable changes like an improved range of motion and relief from pain within weeks. The knee replacement works effectively and lasts longer when an expert knee replacement surgeon performs it. For any information about knee replacement, contact Dr Vasudeva Juvvadi, a knee replacement specialist in Hyderabad with an immense experience of two decades. Dr Vasudeva is a consultant knee replacement surgeon at Citizens Hospitals – The best Hospital for knee replacement in Hyderabad.