ORTHOPEDICS/HIP & KNEE/KNEE SWITCHING SURGERY
Performing a Switching Knee
A knee switching surgery is executed as a knee joint arthritis treatment. More than one objective is awaited from this surgery type, but the main one remains fundamentally to providing a functional and pain-free knee.
Good knee switching functioning should meet the following objectives:
Restoration of the joint normal alignment
Ensuring knee well curving and steadiness
Surger/ Prior Preparation
It is important to consider some steps to be followed prior a knee switching surgery.
These steps include: ensuring body good health sufficiently, ensuring home readiness for the recovery period and ensuring a home assistance to help with your daily needs for at least few days after surgery.
Anesthetic
The knee switching surgery can be performed with general anesthesia or epidural (or spinal) anesthesia, or a local nerve block.
The advantage of the epidural and the regional blocks are that painless medicine can be given post-operatively.
Removing the Worn-Out Joint
When a knee switching is performed, the bone and cartilage on the end of the thighbone (femur) and top of the shinbone (tibia) are removed. This is performed by using specific tools to create accurate spaces to lodge the implant.
Knee replacement surgery itself takes about 60 to 90 minutes, but time in the operating room may be longer depending on the anesthetic option.
Right Implant/ Selection
The specific implant used for the knee switching will depend on the patient age, his mobility level, the surgeon’s penchant, and the specific anatomic disparities this patient may exploit.
Implanting a Knee Prosthesis
There are two techniques to hold a knee switching implant in the bone:
- Cemented Knee switching
This technique is the most frequently used, because the Cemented implants fit firmly into position and are instantly fixed into the bone.
- Press-Fit Knee switching
Press-fit implants are shaped with a rough space allowing the bone growing in. Over the time, the surrounding bone grows into the implant holding it firmly in position.
Knee Switching Surger/ Recovering
Usually all the knee switching surgeries are successful, but the success is due, in a large part, to the rehabilitation period that follows this surgery.
Patients who wish fine result must obey and practice well the rehab instructions.
Finally
It is important to know that the Knee switching implants (made of metal or plastic) are shaped to last long and will still in good functioning for an average of ten to fifteen years.