What is a knee replacement?
Knee replacement is a surgical procedure aimed at replacing your diseased or damaged knee joint with prosthetics to relieve pain and restore knee function. It’s considered one of the most successful procedures in all of medicine.
Am I a good candidate for a knee replacement?
Northern Virginia Orthopaedic Specialists determines if you’re a good candidate for knee replacement during a consultation.
You may be a good candidate for knee replacement if:
- Your knee pain limits your daily activities (walking)
- You experience moderate to severe knee pain at rest
- You suffer from chronic knee inflammation
- You have a knee deformity
- Your conservative treatments no longer alleviate your pain
In many cases, knee replacement is a treatment for chronic knee pain and disability caused by arthritis.
What are the types of knee replacement procedures?
Northern Virginia Orthopaedic Specialists is an orthopaedic practice dedicated to providing the best possible care so that you can live a healthy and active life. For knee replacement, the practice’s expert surgeons offer three types of procedures:
Knee arthroplasty
Knee arthroplasty is the traditional knee replacement surgery. During the procedure, your surgeon first removes the damaged cartilage and a small amount of bone from your femur and tibia.
Then, your surgeon places the metal replacement parts over your bone and secures them in place. Your surgeon resurfaces your patella (kneecap) with a plastic button and places a metal spacer between the metal components to improve movement.
Unicompartmental knee replacement
Your knee has three compartments. The unicompartmental knee replacement procedure, also called a partial knee replacement, is less invasive than the traditional knee arthroplasty and only removes and replaces the compartment of your knee that’s damaged.
MAKOplasty® partial knee replacement
The MAKOplasty partial knee replacement is a minimally invasive surgical option for a partial knee replacement. During the procedure, your surgeon uses an advanced robotic surgical system to remove and replace the damaged portion of your knee, which improves surgical precision and may reduce your recovery time.
Northern Virginia Orthopaedic Specialists also performs revision arthroplasty of the knee to replace artificial joints that have worn out or failed.
What can I expect during recovery from a knee replacement?
Northern Virginia Orthopaedic Specialists provides detailed information about what you can expect during recovery from your knee replacement surgery. The specifics of your recovery may depend on the type of procedure. Though, it may take up to a year to fully recover from a total knee replacement.
Activity is critical to your recovery process, and the orthopaedic practice offers in-house physical therapy and rehabilitation, so you get the specialized exercise program you need to support healing, alleviate pain, and restore function.
To schedule your knee replacement consultation, call Northern Virginia Orthopaedic Specialists today.
