Is knee surgery the only option?
Ever wondered why is it necessary to have a knee surgery? Not sure when the need arises? There are many other questions related to the same issues. What every individual has to do is to find out whether the problem is severe enough that it needs a surgery or an experienced Orthopaedic surgeon could treat with medication, exercises and other therapies.
Here, the next thing to know about is Osteoarthritis (OA) that is basically the prime cause leading to knee surgery. By taking a brief look into this problem, it would be quite easy for everyone to figure out whether to go for knee surgery or not.
Understanding Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis (OA) refers to the joint disease that is excruciating and usually causes the joints of fingers, hips, knees and others to swell or inflame. The problem usually arises among people whose rubbery and soft articular cartilage stops performing their responsibility to cover the bones. This causes the bones to rub against one another, thus making a lot of friction and difficulty in movement.
This problem is quite common in old people because of their deficiencies and wear and tear over the years. But, that doesn’t mean no one else would be having the same problem. OA also arises when the person is obese, had joint injury in the past or have any relative bearing it. Upon diagnosis, the respective Orthopaedic physician recommends some of the common yet effective treatments that are sure to benefit in one way the other.
Though, the type of surgery varies with respect to the situation. Patients have to consult with their surgeons to know about what sort of treatment they should be having:
· Osteotomy: Working on the damaged area, the surgeon replaces bone with a wedge of bone to remove pressure and realign the arm or leg. Don’t think that it’s an easy surgery because it does not tend to be effective in relieving knee pain.
· Joint Fusion: This problem is commonly found in athletes in which, the surgeon uses rods, pins, screws or plates to join more than two bones in order to make a long, continuous joint. Yes, it might be a bit troublesome in the beginning but, the joints will get to their desired place after some time. This knee surgery usually turns out to be effective for lifetime, meaning that patients don’t have to think of doing them again after a certain time period. Even though it reduces pain, there might be lesser flexibility, mobility and more stress over other joints, which could cause Osteoarthritis to occur in other body parts as well.
It doesn’t matter what sort of sport medicine athletes used to have nor do the type of surgery would affect their performance because there is no replacement of a healthy lifestyle that includes exercise and a balanced diet.
How to Decide About Joint Replacement?
Yes, knee surgery is not always the only option that athletes could have because it involves a lot of care and complications if not taken care of properly. It is the treatment of last resort for OA that should be done at the right time to derive the best results. So, when is the time to go for joint replacement? Here are some of the aspects to take into consideration:
· Chances of performing the same activities as that of before surgery- shopping, playing, golfing, running etc.
· Need to do physical therapy or take medicines to reduce pain as before.
· Comfort in sleep, rather than to wake up multiple times because of pain.
· Impact over daily chores.
Once these aspects are clear and people have clear knowledge, it would be quite easy for them to figure out whether to undergo joint replacement surgery right now or not. Other factors involved in this decision making are obesity, age, kidney/lung/heart disease and bone density since they make one case different from the other. No doubt, knee surgery is not the only option to deal with Osteoarthritis. It’s just about understanding the problem and choosing the right treatment.