Signs You Need A Knee Replacement
Signs You May Need A Knee Replacement
by Jerry Seaman
Summary – What are the signs you may need knee replacement surgery? There are simple signs that mean you MAY need a knee replaced. One indication is if the pain in the knee keeps you awake at night or causes you to wake up when you roll over. The knee arthritis may limit your activities, particularly if walking half a mile can be too painful to bear. Just stiffness in the knees or the occasional sharp pain does not mean you need full or partial knee joint replacement. If the pain persists, even after other forms of treatment, or for more than a couple of days, then you speak to your doctor.
If you have knee arthritis, surgery might be a viable option. Arthritis is actually an inflamed joint. People think of arthritis as an abnormal growth of cartilage or when the cartilage has worn away, causing inflammation around the joint. There are many types of arthritis, but the most common is osteoarthritis. This results in the cartilage wearing away until the bare bone is exposed. This type of arthritis in the knee can definitely benefit from knee replacement.
Knee replacement surgery has a long recovery process and the physiotherapy can be extremely painful at times. Although, if the quality of life has deteriorated due to a lack of mobility, knee arthritis or knee pain, it may be time to consider surgery. The National Institutes of Health reported knee replacement improves the quality of life and mobility in over 90% of the patients. Knee joint replacement is the most performed joint replacement surgery done MedzCanada today. Many people continue to suffer knee arthritis because it is difficult to know if surgery is needed.
The conditions that can be treated with full or partial knee replacement surgery are: severe osteoarthritis, Ligament damage, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, hemophilia, crystal deposition diseases, avascular necrosis and bone dysplasias. Some of these can be resolved with partial knee replacement, which is much less invasive and provides for a faster recovery. In the case of arthritis, crystal deposition, avascular necrosis and bone dysplasias, partial replacement would only be a stopgap measure. If you have any of the above-mentioned signs it may be time to speak to your doctor.
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Jerry Seaman is a two-time knee replacement patient and former state wrestling champion. He knows about knee replacements and the challenges you face. At age 65, just 8 weeks after his second knee replacement surgery Jerry is able to squat 205lbs for 20 reps, stand and balance on a basketball, hang upside down on a bar 12 feet off the ground, and has a full 135 degrees of flexion in his knee.
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