Important Questions to Ask Doctor Before Knee Replacement
In case you experience medium-severe arthritis of the knees and the non-surgical alternatives have not taken care of you adequately, the time to consider surgical procedures on the knees may have come.
Other surgical solutions, such as total knee replacement, can also be quite useful to most sufferers of knee arthritis. Making up the choice of whether knee surgery is to be undergone may be hectic. The correct question that you want your doctor to ask can help in the decision.
1. Which knee surgery is suitable for me?
Severe arthritic destruction of your knee, your age, and your overall fitness, among many other factors, all determine the kind of surgery your surgeon will prescribe to you; the surgeon himself or herself will also determine the type of surgery he will perform.
The possible surgical treatments can be:
- Total knee replacement
- Partial knee replacement
- Knee arthroscopy
- Knee osteotomy surgery
- Supporting and restoring cartilages
Total knee replacement is the most commonly advised option, and it is the surgery that presents the highest success rate.
2. What is the typical result?
You should make sure that you do not have misconceptions regarding what knee surgery can achieve. Would you believe that everything you are currently feeling is going to disappear? Will you have a full recovery or a partial recovery of your knee? Is it possible that you can resume some activities and sports?
3. What problems can arise?
The majority of knee surgery complication rates are minimal, but in any surgery complications are possible. These may involve blood clots, infection, or injury to the knee and the tissue surrounding it. Ask about or research the complication rates for both your surgeon and the medical facility where the procedure will be done.
The more experience your surgeon has with the specific procedure, the better the chances for a good result as a general rule. Furthermore, remember that health care facilities performing high volume joint replacement surgery have higher quality outcomes. You can easily seek the best knee replacement surgeon for better outcome.
4. Is there anything I can do to improve the chances of a successful surgery?
You can possibly prepare things before the surgery that will help to have a positive outcome. For example, a surgeon can request you to exercise to strengthen the muscles around and behind the knee, maintain a healthy weight, and/or quit smoking.
5. How much pain will I experience after the surgery? What can be done to lessen it?
Finding out how much post-operative pain is normal will help you prepare for the first few days following surgery, when the pain is likely to be at peak. This is the best way to reduce your anxiety before the surgery. Your surgeon team will explain to you what medications to use in order to manage pain and swelling.
Depending upon your surgery and your own particular health situation, which medications are best to use and how long you must take these medications will be your health care provider to advise you regarding.
6. How long is the recovery process?
Recovery times differ greatly. To illustrate, an individual with arthroscopic knee surgery will be completely healed at 6 to 8 weeks. An individual with total knee replacement will be back to normal routine at 6 to 8 weeks, yet it will take them longer to recover completely.
Also Read: Can Overweight People Have Knee Replacement Surgery?
Learn about your recovery and find out whether you will need an assistive walking device such as a walker or crutches after surgery and for how long. Also ask if help at home will be required from a spouse, family member, friend, or personal aide.
7. How many physical therapy sessions post-surgery will I have to undertake?
Physical therapy is a process to strengthen the muscles and tissues surrounding the operated knee joint and can be time-consuming. Most knee surgery recoveries are also dependent on this. Learn how many sessions of physical therapy you need to take post-surgery for a faster recovery and rehabilitation both with a physical therapist and independently at home.
8. Will there be negative consequences if I delay surgery for 6-12 months?
When you communicate with your surgeon, he will tell you whether it is convenient or not to delay the surgery. It majorly depends on the knee conditions and its effect on the regular lifestyle of the patient.
Delaying surgery in some cases can create complications like hampering the regular lifestyle of the patient, chronic pain, delayed recovery and others which in turn decreases the chances of successful surgery.
Final Thoughts
Discuss these questions and any other similar question with your orthopedic surgeon. Make notes on the appointment or get the notes taken by a friend or a family member. You will be able to go through the notes later while considering the advantages and disadvantages. You can book a consultation with the top orthopedic doctor in Delhi before considering TKR.