On rare occasions a patient may have complications after knee surgery; however, this happens less than 2% of the time. Sometimes the knee joint may become infected. Even more rarely, heart attack or stroke may occur.
Patients who have a chronic illness will be a bit more likely to experience complications. Rehabilitation may be extended by chronic illness, and complete recovery may be hindered.
A fairly commonly experienced complication of knee surgery is clotting in the veins of the leg. You can avoid this by simply following your orthopedic surgeons orders. You will be sent home with instructions to elevate your legs on a regular basis, perform prescribed exercises, perhaps take blood thinning medications, and perhaps even use support stockings. Be sure to follow these instructions to the letter, and you should have no problems.
Occasionally, a component of the replacement may become worn, damaged, or loosened. This rarely happens because the materials used are of extremely high quality, and of course, the surgery is performed with great care.
A range-of-motion of 115 can be expected following surgery. This may be lessened by scarring of the knee or by the very rare instance of damage to the blood vessels and nerves of the knee. Additionally, if a person had limited ROM (range of motion) prior to the surgery, it can be expected to remain somewhat limited afterwards.
Click here for more on knee surgery recovery .
Your orthopedic surgeon will be happy to discuss all of your concerns with you before you have your surgery.
What to Expect During Home Recovery
The vast majority (over 90%) of fixed unicompartmental as well as mobile bearing knee replacements function well for as much as ten years. You have a great deal of influence on the successful outcome of your surgery. By paying close attention to your orthopedic surgeons instructions, you can increase the life of your implant.
The Care of Your Wound
Your orthopedic surgeon may close your wound in one of three ways. He or she may staple or stitch it shut exteriorly or close it with subcutaneous sutures. If the closure of your wound is exterior, you can expect to go back to the doctor within a few weeks to have the stitches or staples removed. If the wound is closed with interior sutures, they will dissolve, and you will not need to do anything.
Protect your wound from excessive moisture. Keep it dry until it is completely healed. Use a bandage to protect it from being scraped and rubbed by your support hose or your clothes.
Exercise Your Knee
You will be sent home with a list of exercises that are intended to facilitate your speedy recovery. It is essential that you do them. You may feel a bit of pain while doing them; however, slight pain is normal and nothing to worry about. You may also feel a bit of pain while resting at night. As you heal, this will pass, and you will be back to normal and able to resume your regular daily activities in a month to six weeks.
Patients who have a chronic illness will be a bit more likely to experience complications. Rehabilitation may be extended by chronic illness, and complete recovery may be hindered.
A fairly commonly experienced complication of knee surgery is clotting in the veins of the leg. You can avoid this by simply following your orthopedic surgeons orders. You will be sent home with instructions to elevate your legs on a regular basis, perform prescribed exercises, perhaps take blood thinning medications, and perhaps even use support stockings. Be sure to follow these instructions to the letter, and you should have no problems.
Occasionally, a component of the replacement may become worn, damaged, or loosened. This rarely happens because the materials used are of extremely high quality, and of course, the surgery is performed with great care.
A range-of-motion of 115 can be expected following surgery. This may be lessened by scarring of the knee or by the very rare instance of damage to the blood vessels and nerves of the knee. Additionally, if a person had limited ROM (range of motion) prior to the surgery, it can be expected to remain somewhat limited afterwards.
Click here for more on knee surgery recovery .
Your orthopedic surgeon will be happy to discuss all of your concerns with you before you have your surgery.
What to Expect During Home Recovery
The vast majority (over 90%) of fixed unicompartmental as well as mobile bearing knee replacements function well for as much as ten years. You have a great deal of influence on the successful outcome of your surgery. By paying close attention to your orthopedic surgeons instructions, you can increase the life of your implant.
The Care of Your Wound
Your orthopedic surgeon may close your wound in one of three ways. He or she may staple or stitch it shut exteriorly or close it with subcutaneous sutures. If the closure of your wound is exterior, you can expect to go back to the doctor within a few weeks to have the stitches or staples removed. If the wound is closed with interior sutures, they will dissolve, and you will not need to do anything.
Protect your wound from excessive moisture. Keep it dry until it is completely healed. Use a bandage to protect it from being scraped and rubbed by your support hose or your clothes.
Exercise Your Knee
You will be sent home with a list of exercises that are intended to facilitate your speedy recovery. It is essential that you do them. You may feel a bit of pain while doing them; however, slight pain is normal and nothing to worry about. You may also feel a bit of pain while resting at night. As you heal, this will pass, and you will be back to normal and able to resume your regular daily activities in a month to six weeks.
About the Author:
Dr. Tarlow is a Board Certified Orthopaedic Surgeon with over 20 years specializing in knee surgery. He opened his own clinic, Advanced Knee Care, with a focus on specialty patient care. Click here to learn more about Dr. Tarlow, orthopedic procedures and complete knee replacement.
0 comments:
Post a Comment