Arthritis knee pain can severely limit your quality of life. If those activities you are accustomed to doing every day – walking, yard work, housework – and all of those fun activities you want to do – golf, bowling, shopping – cause you pain, it’s time to make a change. In some cases medication, injections, physical therapy, and weight loss will help. But if you have tried these changes without success, it might be time to consider partial or total joint replacement. Following a full examination, our physicians will determine the best treatment for your individual needs.
Partial Knee Replacement
You might be a candidate for partial knee replacement if your pain is limited to one area of the knee and you no longer get relief from medications, injections, physical therapy or weight loss. This is a minimally invasive procedure that resurfaces the worn, arthritic surfaces of the knee joint with state-of-the-art metal and plastic components while preserving the unaffected regions of the knee joint.
Total Knee Replacement
This procedure provides complete, total resurfacing of the worn surfaces of the knee with state-of-the-art metal and plastic components. There are many types of implants, and your physician will work with you to determine your best option. This treatment can provide a vast improvement in pain, mobility/movement, and stability. This procedure can now be done using more minimally invasive techniques, which allows for quicker healing and less post-operative pain.
Following Knee Replacement Surgery
Patients are provided with a comprehensive recovery and rehabilitation plan that will include physical therapy immediately following the procedure. Hospital stay can range from 1-4 days. As advancements are made in post-operative pain control, knee replacement surgery may one day be performed as an outpatient procedure in the near future.
Physicians provide a specific recovery plan based on each individual patient’s needs and may include rehabilitation facilities, home health physical therapy, and outpatient physical therapy.
