Knee Replacement Surgery:
Purpose: Knee replacement surgery, also known as knee arthroplasty, is performed to replace damaged or diseased parts of the knee joint with artificial implants (prosthetics).
Indications:
- Osteoarthritis: Most common reason, where the cartilage in the knee joint wears away over time.
- Rheumatoid arthritis: Autoimmune condition causing inflammation and joint damage.
- Post-traumatic arthritis: Arthritis developing after a knee injury or fracture.
- Other conditions: Such as avascular necrosis, where the bone tissue dies due to poor blood supply.
Procedure:
- Preparation: The surgical team prepares the patient, typically under general anesthesia or spinal anesthesia.
- Incision: The surgeon makes an incision over the knee to access the joint.
- Resurfacing: Damaged cartilage and bone are removed from the ends of the thigh bone (femur) and shin bone (tibia), and sometimes the patella (kneecap).
- Implantation: The removed surfaces are replaced with metal and plastic implants that recreate the knee joint’s natural movement.
- Closure: The incision is closed with stitches or staples.
Recovery:
