People generally have the tendency of ignoring joint pain unless the pain adversely prevent them from carrying out their day to day activity. We often see patients who come to us when their knee has been damaged to a great extent and should have opted for a knee replacement early on. Hence, with this article we would like to highlight the 3 key signs that should not be ignored and might validate the need to consult a knee replacement surgeon.
1. Recurrent Severe Knee Pain: This might sound obvious. However, one needs to know that not all knee pain validates the need for a knee surgery. If the knee pain becomes sever even by doing basic activities like
- standing up after sitting for a long time
- standing for more than 10-15 minutes,
- climbing up/down even a few stairs
- pain due to movements in bed while sleeping
- Stepping in/out of a car or bus or the Mumbai local
If the pain does not go away for good even after taking pain killers and icing. It is very much possible that your knee joint bone’s have suffered irreparable damage and might requires surgical intervention. An x-ray might show the extent of damage, based on which a knee surgeon can suggest the treatment protocol watch out secretes for finding minimally invasive versus traditional replacement procedures quickly.
2. Stiffness or Limited range of Motion: Stiffness in joints is a normal as human body ages. As the body ages the ligaments and cartilages tend to wear out. They keep the joints lubricate and avoid friction between the bones. As they deteriorate the friction between joints increase slowly reducing the range of motion and increasing stiffness. If this increased stuffiness is preventing a person from walking, sitting cross legged, accompanied by aggravating pain, chances are you might need to consult an orthopedic surgeon.
3. Instability: The weakening of ligaments and stiffness in joints generally leads to instability of the knee. It’s a bit difficult to identify & explain. However, if you get the feeling that your knee might give away and you might fall when trying to do basic activities (explained in the knee pain section). If untreated the feeling can turn into actual fall. This can not only affect the knee but cause other problems like fracture of other bones as well.
WHAT IF! one continues to live with these Signs: The beauty of the human body is that it tries to adapt itself based on changes in body. If the signs highlighted above are only present in one leg and if its is left untreated. The body will try to shift the weight to the better of the two legs. Needless to say, this will make matter worse for the second leg and the problem which could have been treated by a unilateral TKR (single leg) might now need a bi-lateral TKR.
Why consult for Knee replacement at Dr. Shailendra Patil’s Bone and Joint Care Clinic–
Not all patients need to undergo Total Knee Replacement Surgery. If the knee damage is caught early on, only the damaged part of the knee can be replaced, and the person can have a more comfortable life. Dr. Patil is one of the few who does Partial Knee Replacement. Patial knee replacement surgery gives freedom to patient to perform all activities which he was doing earlier.. There is absolutely no restrictions of movements after partial knee replacement surgery.Feeling of natural knee and movement is an advantage of partial over total replacement. He has over 3000 successful joint surgeries to his name. You can contact us for more details on 093 2062 0978.
