Frequently Asked Questions Related To Knee Replacement

Hi,

I am Dr. Hitesh Kubadia, Orthopedist. I will talk about the queries being asked about knee replacement.

Q1: How long my replaced knee lasts?

Ans: The knee should last for almost 15-20 years if you are taking good care of it. It also depends on the patient's moving activities. If a patient is in sports, it will not last for a long.
 

Q2: How long will it take for me to be back to the normal routine?

Ans: It is major surgery. The body takes time to adapt it. With minimally invasive surgery, it takes less time. But I would say that within a few days, the patient is able to take a round of their compound. They are able to go to the market and come back. Maximum time is required for 6-12 weeks to live a normal life. But yes, the patient may suffer from a little pain because the body is accepting the new joint. There is a bit of swelling around the knee. It causes some burning sensations around the knee. These are all the normal process of healing. They all settle down over a period of time.


Q3: Patients ask when I would be able to sit down and use Indian toilet?

Ans: I would never suggest my patients do those activities on a routine basis but doing once a while will not cause much harm. But if a patient is doing this activity continuously, the life of the knee will become much small. That is why it is never suggested to do these activities.

Q4: Patients ask, can I postpone my knee replacement with alternative methods, non-surgical methods.

Ans: Yes, osteoarthritis is a debilitating disease. It is a degenerative disease which happens with the age. Yes, there are times when we try to protect the knee. When we fail to give pain-free treatment then we talk about knee replacement. Physiotherapy in such cases helps a lot. Body muscles are very important to be strong. So, they decrease the load of the knee. And causes less degeneration around the knee. Sometimes, we also inject certain gels in the knee and helps the knee for the frictionless movements. And that also helps in causing less pain around the knee. These are a few methods tried in early and moderate arthritis. It is only when these methods actually do not help the patient to get enough pain relief in their daily routine. Then we talk about replacement.