How will you Delay Knee Surgery?

Knee replacement has become the choice of treatment for old aged people with knee problems during last few decades. Sometimes it is likely to happen that patient would choose knee replacement surgery though it’s not required. In that case, thorough counseling and education of patient regarding the surgery becomes necessary. It is not surprising that so many knee replacement institutes are lacking patient education program.

Here this blog will help you for decision making process of knee replacement surgery. Our operative surgeons, Dr. Rajiv Paradkar and Dr. Vrajesh Shah, have great experience of 15-20 years in joint replacement surgeries. Some firm statements regarding knee replacement operation decisions from the desk of VIROC doctors are as follows;

1.     Know the main cause of knee pain. Generally osteoarthritis of knee is the reason of knee pain in old age, but patient should be aware of disease’s stage. More often last stage of knee osteoarthritis requires knee replacement. If the underlying cause of knee pain is different then you need other interventions.

2.     Once cause is found then go for conservative treatment first. We start with some glucosamine medicines (for cartilage and joint lubrication) with low dosage of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs to treat pain.

3.     Good amount of physiotherapy is the best part of conservative treatment. Proper exercises could diminish your knee pain by decreasing the swelling over knee. Along with the exercises, electrotherapy and hot water fomentation would give you the best outcome.

4.     Most important advice is the weight reduction. If patient is obese then losing weight would give him\her drastic relief.

5.     If above all treatment fails then we would suggest you to go for some alternative interventions i.e., Stem cell therapy, PRP injections and Ozone (O₃) therapy. These are some types of treatment which are available at VIROC hospital.

6.     Many patients would be suggested for local steroidal injections and arthroscopic surgery. But we hardly recommend such alternatives which require more finances

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7.     At last, after all possible treatments only consider your pain factor. If your pain is worsening day by day and it affects your daily routine, also the X-rays suggestive of last stage osteoarthritis then go for the replacement surgery, regardless of the age factor (recommended age range is 60 and above).

India will emerge as the capital of Osteoarthritis by 2025 with more than 60 million to be likely affected. Thorough awareness and preventive steps towards fight against Osteoarthritic knee pain has now become mandatory.

Overweight! An Addition to risk of knee osteoarthritis

Knee is the major weight bearing joint of the body. The knees are the shock absorbents of the body. Their role is to absorb the force when we step, jump, run, play, or do any movement with our legs. Hence, it is no rocket science to understand that if you are overweight, your knees would be experiencing more shock and the heavy weight causes further damage to the knees and the cartilage (A cushioned or shock absorbing layer in the knee joint) too. You will feel surprised to know that the Knee joint feels five times the body weight at each step. So, the more you weigh, the more pressure on the knee and the quicker the cartilage wears out.

Osteoarthritis can be extremely painful as the cartilage between the bones is depleted or in severe cases gone, which makes the bones rub together. According to the theory of BMI, Body Mass Index, people whose BMI is in the range of 25 to 30 are considered either overweight or obese and they are under the constant threat of becoming a victim of osteoarthritis.

 Apart from this direct relation, there are two other factors that connect heavy weight and knee pain;

·       The first one is Poor blood circulation. Overweight people suffer from various problems due to improper blood circulation and one of them is knee pain. Lack of blood rotation causes lack of oxygen and knee muscles tend to get weak over the period of time.

·       The other factor is Leptin. It is the master hormone that is released by fat cells of the body and many experts believe that it works in favor of osteoarthritis.

Fortunately, exercise can help you lose weight and fat, gain muscle, and keep your knees healthy! Here are some exercises which might help you to get relieved from knee pain;

1.    Chair sit-ups:

a.     Sit on a chair without arm rest

b.    Get up from the chair with feet flat over the floor

c.     And sit again

d.    Repeat this for 10-15 times twice a day

 

2.    Leg raises:

a.     Lie flat

b.    Lift your leg by keeping knee straight

c.     Put it down

d.    Repeat it for about 10-15 times twice a day

3.    Knee press:

a.     Lie flat with both legs straight

b.    Place a pillow or towel roll beneath the knee

c.     Press it for 5-10 seconds

d.    And then relax

e.     Repeat for 10-15 times twice a day

4.    Knee curls:

a.     Lie flat on your stomach

b.    Bend your knee

c.     Then straighten it

d.    Repeat this for 10-15 times twice a day

5.    Calf stretch:

a.     Hold this position for 5-10 seconds

b.    Repeat it for 10-15 times twice a day

6.    Hamstring stretch:

a.     Hold the position for 5-10 seconds

b.    Repeat it for 10-15 times twice a day

Not to do:

·       Running

·       Squatting

·       Cross leg sitting

Losing weight can be the most effective way in order to provide a long life to the joints. Other than this reducing weight can also provide amount of mobility to the joints and it can also reduce the intensity of pain. Lower inflammation level is again a great benefit of shedding weight. We often come across people saying that they want to exercise and lose weight but they can’t because their knee hurts a lot. So now it seems to be a never-ending cycle. Hence the easy way out here is taking baby steps.