What is Total Knee Replacement (TKR)?
Total knee replacement (TKR) may be only way to provide a complete cure to deal with knee pain that has reached a somewhat critical stage when painful symptoms can no longer be controlled with non-operative treatments.
TKR is an operation that aims at replacement of the damaged knee joint cartilage
TKR are not done frequently in younger patient because the concern of the implant wearing out too quickly.
How is Total Knee Replacement (TKR) performed?
There are four basic steps to a knee replacement procedure.
Prepare the bone. The damaged cartilage surfaces at the ends of the femur and tibia are removed along with a small amount of underlying bone.
Position the metal implants. The removed cartilage and bone is replaced with metal components that recreate the surface of the joint. These metal parts may be cemented or “press-fit” into the bone.
Resurface the patella. The undersurface of the patella (kneecap) is cut and resurfaced with a plastic button. Some surgeons do not resurface the patella, depending upon the case.
Insert a spacer. A medical-grade plastic spacer is inserted between the metal components to create a smooth gliding surface.
TKR is an operation that normally last approximately 2 hours.
Patient will normally required to stay in hospital for 2 to 3 days.
What To Do After Total Knee Replacement
Following surgery, patient will normally be discharged on the same day or the very next day with the bulky dressing over the knee area. The bulky dressing will then be removed clinically 3 days after the surgery.
Patients are required to do physical therapy frequently and appropriate treating of the knee to ensure a quick return to normal activity. During physical therapy, patients will be taught exercises, in addition to having guided therapy. Patients will continue to receive physical therapy two to three times per week after they are discharged from the hospital. The length of the rehabilitation period depends on the patient’s condition and recovery progress.
To find out more about Total Knee Replacement Surgery, its Precautions and other info, you may wish to call us at (65) 66532628