How Long Does It Take To Recover After Double Knee Replacement Surgery
A double knee replacement is a surgical procedure designed to eliminate arthritis from the knee. The knee occurs when there is a loss of the cartilage in the knee. When the cartilage has worn away in both knees, an artificial knee can take its place. The knee replacement recreates to the normal function of the knee and its main reason is to relieve pain. It may also help to restore motion of both knees.
The knee will also be checked to make sure that all of the ligaments are stable around the knee. The knee is then brought through a full range of motion to make sure that the knee will come to full extension and able to fully flex.
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Your Below Knee Prosthesis
Your prosthesis will return the mobility you lost due to pain before your surgery and during the recovery period immediately following surgery. While this is a very exciting phase for many amputees, its important to prepare to use a prosthesis and learn to care for it. This will allow you to receive maximum benefit from your artificial limb.
Maintain or Build Strength Work as hard as you can to maintain muscle strength before surgery and as soon as the doctor allows after surgery. Walking with a prosthesis takes more energy than walking on your feet, so its important to keep your leg muscles strong and healthy. Performing conditioning exercises before and after surgery is often recommended and will help you gain mobility quickly. Maintaining muscle mass by using the iWALK hands-free crutch can be a significant benefit during the period after amputation and before youve been fitted with a below knee prosthesis.
Below Knee Prosthesis Care Carefully follow washing instructions on any parts of your prosthesis that come into contact with your skin including liners, socks, and the inside of the socket. Be sure to allow ample time for washed parts to dry to avoid fungal growth that could lead to infection or abrasion.
Here Is An Overview Of What You Can Expect During These 12 Weeks:
- Days 1 3: In the hospital, you will work with a physical therapist and occupational therapist to work on straightening and bending the knee.
- Discharge Day: Most people are discharged from the hospital within a few days. You will be sent home with specific instructions for care, medication, and therapy.
- Week 3: By the time you reach week three, you will be able to move around a little more, and the pain will be decreasing.
- Weeks 4 6: The most noticeable improvements in your knee happen during this time if you are consistent with your rehab and exercise activities.
- Weeks 7 11: Physical therapy and rehabilitation continue. At this point, you will be working on range of motion, mobility, and strengthening the muscles.
- Week 12: You can start to return to normal activities but still need to avoid high-impact exercise .
Beyond this initial recovery time, you will notice that the pain will continue to decrease, and your function will improve.
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Lifestyle Following Bk Amputation
Over time, your physical activity will increase, and youll gain independence and confidence. Youll become more comfortable walking with your artificial limb, especially navigating stairs and uneven terrain. Youll first learn to maneuver within your living space, but those skills will quickly translate to the world outside your homes walls. Taking a shower will require new skills, and you may find that a stool, shower chair or hands-free crutch like the iWALK is necessary.
Crawling may be necessary when using the bathroom at night or other times when you arent wearing your prosthetic or using crutches. As time goes on, youll learn what works for you and that living as an amputee does not necessarily mean your pre-amputation lifestyle has been compromised .
Why Tissue Repairs Are Different Than Removal
As previously stated, sometimes knee scopes are exploratory to assess the extent of tissue damage because physical tests and MRI results have been inconsistent or inconclusive.
It is important to distinguish the difference between the less involved debridement or loose body removal surgery, where damaged tissues are removed and articulating surfaces are cleaned up versus a REPAIR.
Once the surgeon is inside the joint to see and probe the integrity of the tissue, they can decide if just a clean up will suffice or if tissues need to be reconstructed or repaired.
The patient will consult with their Orthopedic Surgeon to discuss the benefits and risks of each procedure. Sometimes an Orthopedic surgeon recommends Physical Therapy or injections prior to choosing to perform a repair procedure.
A torn ligament such as an ACL or PCL will likely need repaired if the patient is wishing to return to higher levels of activities requiring a stable knee. The same could be said for a patient with a meniscus tear that needs to be repaired .
Patients with only an ACL or PCL reconstruction are likely weightbearingas tolerated with crutches immediately following surgery, whereas a meniscus repair will be non-weightbearing for 1-2 months to protect the integrity of the repair.
The surgery recovery timeline for these repairs is much longer than just a scope or cleaning up debridement procedure and will likely last 4-8 months in Physical Therapy depending on progress and goals.
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When Should I Have A Double Knee Replacement Done
A total knee replacement may be performed if there are signs of advanced joint disease and treatment has failed to provide pain relief. The pain will affect the patients quality of life. A patients age is also determining the factor to a knee replacement should be performed. It is preferred for a patients age in order to perform a total knee replacement.
Why Would I Need A Knee Replacement
Knees that are damaged by arthritis or injury often fail to function properly. The purpose of the knee, which is the bodys largest joint, is ambulation. Without a properly functioning knee joint, you will have trouble doing the simplest of tasks, such as walking from your bed to the restroom or sitting down and getting up from your couch. When your knees continue to worsen you may even have trouble sleeping because of pain in your knees.
Unless the knee has been injured in an accident of some sort, this is a gradual process where the joint gradually wears out over time. Your doctor may try a variety of treatments, from lifestyle changes, such as giving up running, to medications to help with the pain. For a time, you may try walking with supportive devices such as a cane or wearing leg braces. Eventually, though, when your efforts to manage the pain no longer work, its time to consider knee replacement.
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Causes Of Below Knee Amputations
Below knee amputation surgery is generally performed if a persons lower extremity or foot has been severely injured or if he or she suffers from chronic and sever pain in the foot or lower extremity. Causes are generally related to the following:
While there are many additional reasons a person may choose below knee amputation, those listed above are most common .
Below knee amputation surgery is a serious undertaking aimed at resolving complicated or life-threatening issues in the foot or other parts of the leg below the knee. Any decision to amputate involves multiple factors and should include many discussions between the patient and their team of doctors..
What Is Knee Cap Surgery
Knee replacement surgery restores the weight-bearing façade of a damaged, worn, or diseased knee joint. It is also known as knee arthroplasty, or knee resurfacing. The surgeon caps the ends of the bones that form the knee joint with metal or plastic components, or implants a prosthetic, shaped as a joint.
Consequently, how long does it take to recover from knee cap surgery?
Before you leave the hospital, your doctor provides you with a knee splint to be worn for the first three to six days after surgery. This allows the incision to heal. A follow-up appointment with your surgeon occurs about one week after surgery, allowing the surgeon to check that the patella is healing appropriately.
One may also ask, does dislocated kneecap require surgery? In the event that a dislocated kneecap is particularly severe or may have also caused damage to the surrounding ligaments, tendons or cartilages, surgery may be required to relocate the kneecap or repair other structures. Common surgeries for dislocated kneecaps include: Arthroscopic surgery.
People also ask, how long does it take to bend your knee after patella surgery?
Physical therapy can begin as soon as your doctor determines that your knee can bend. This may be within days of an injury if the patella fracture does not require surgery. If surgery is performed, gentle weight-bearing exercises typically begin three to six days after surgery.
What do they do for a broken kneecap?
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Tips For A Smoother Recovery
Physicians and patients share their insights for safely and efficiently getting back on your feet:
If you have concerns or if youre experiencing something you dont understand, speak up. Your doctor and physical therapist will know if its normal or not. In my case I mentioned a muscle spasm issue to my physical therapist, and she got on the phone with my doctor and I ended up needing a medication change to address it. Patient Sharon Barnes
Walking is the best therapy you can do. Walking in the park or around your neighborhood is really how youll be able to get back to normal life quicker. Dr. Courtney
Ive had both done, 14 and 15 years ago. Best advice: Do your before exercises and build up your strength, then after surgery, do your exercise as soon as youre able and keep doing them to get your best range of movement. Its going to hurt, but its so worth it. Healing pain is different, its pain with an end in sight. My father-in-law told me before I had my first one done, to remember, short-term pain for the long-term gain, and that was my mantra. Patient Kathy M., via Facebook
I had bilateral knee replacements done two years ago. My advice? Build up your leg muscles before surgery. I started three months before so the muscles were in tip-top shape. It made a huge difference in making therapy so much easier. Cheryl W., via Facebook
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What happens if you dont have knee replacement surgery? Lajam worries that people who try to live with the pain for too long will see their independence and health suffer. They could become more sedentary, lose control of conditions like diabetes and gain weight and those factors all increase risk for complications from surgery.
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How Do You Know If You Need Knee Replacement Surgery
Each patient is unique, which is why it is essential to schedule an examination and testing with an experienced sports medicine doctor. Our team will determine a diagnosis before deciding if you need to schedule a date for surgery. The preference is always to use minimally-invasive treatments first before surgery is necessary.
But there are times when surgery is required. Whether the minimally-invasive treatments arent working, or youve had a severe injury, you might need to schedule surgery to achieve the recovery you desire.
Why Would I Need Surgery
Osteoarthritis is the main reason why people go for knee replacement surgery. The age-related condition is very common and occurs when cartilage — the cushion between the knee and the bone joints — breaks down.
Other reasons include:
- Rheumatoid arthritis: Rheumatoid arthritis is when the bodyâs immune system attacks and destroys the lining of the knee.
- Deformities: People with bowed legs or âknock-kneesâ often get surgery to restore the position of the knee.
- Knee injuries: A broken bone or torn ligaments around the knee sometimes will result in arthritis that causes great pain and limits your movement.
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Recovery From A Minimally Invasive Knee Replacement
In some instances, orthopedic specialists may be able to perform knee replacements using minimally invasive techniques. When compared to a traditional knee replacement, a minimally invasive knee replacement requires smaller incisions and less cutting of muscles, tendons, ligaments, and other soft tissue . As a result, many patients who undergo a minimally invasive procedure experience shorter recovery times . Minimally invasive knee replacements arent appropriate for everyone, and your doctor will be able to let you know whether youre a candidate for this type of procedure.
Try To Recover Using The Least Possible Pain Medicine
The first 7-10 days after surgery, you will be struggling with chemical pain induced by the trauma that your knee has undergone. Marines, and other really tough guys get humbled by this pain and you do yourself a grave disservice to try to muscle through this period. You will waste valuable time feeling poorly and will have limited success advancing your range of motion, the most improtant goal. This tactic will also ensure that you are taking narcotic pain medication for a longer period.
However if you take your pain meds as prescribed, and work hard, you can be off narcotic pain medicine in two weeks or at least by the time you finish gaining back your range of motion. Gotta get the range then you can back off pain medicine.
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Maintain Comfort With Your Prosthesis
Maintaining comfort is one of the most important parts of wearing a below knee prosthesis. At a basic level, comfort is achieved by good pressure distribution and managing friction that occurs between the prosthesis and your limb. There are also accessories that will help:
Suspension Products Sleeves are used to hold the prosthesis firmly to your limb and keep it from slipping or turning during all phases of the walking motion. They are generally made from neoprene or silicone gel and come in a variety of sizes.
Prosthetic Socks and Sheaths Prosthetic sheaths, liners and socks are the materials in contact with your residual limb. A prosthetic sheath helps ease friction between the skin and sock. The prosthetic sock is used to help maintain a comfortable and even fit in the event that the volume of the residual limb changes. This is accomplished either by changing to a thicker sock or wearing more than one at a time.
Caring for your Residual Limb Wash your limb with soap and water each day and allow it to dry completely. Check your limb for any redness that doesnt dissipate within a few minutes after removing the prosthesis. Also check for skin breakdown. You may need to use a mirror if you cant see the end of your limb. If you have skin breakdown, stop using your prosthesis immediately, and contact your prosthetist in order to arrange for an adjustment.
Think That Walking And Moving Around Is The Major Achievement
Patients mistakenly think that walking is a major achievement after surgery and that walking without a walker is even better. Other healthcare professionals can misguidedly feed into that misconception making the problem even worse. The truth is that getting up and moving around after surgery is encouraged but for the first two weeks you should be protecting the joint from full weight bearing forces by using the walker. This allows you to carry a percentage of your body weight through your arms instead of on your surgical knee.
During your knee replacement surgery, the ends of your long bones have been cut and a prothesis placed over the top. Bone that has been cut can be very painful, just ask someone who has had a small piece of bone taken from their iliac crest for use in a back surgery. That bone removal site can ache for months.
If you walk around without any protection for your new knee you will likely inflame and aggravate the bones. This can cause a person to have a real problem controlling their pain. All things considered you dont want to be dealing with more pain than is already associated with the post surgical period. So use your walker.this means actually putting weight through your arms. A 4 wheeled walker is a horrible choice for this. Get the regular 2 wheeled walker and slow down a bit. Your knee will thank you and your recovery will go much faster.
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Is Bka Surgery Right For Me
While those suffering from severe pain or a traumatic injury in their lower leg may opt for below knee amputation surgery, there are some who dont qualify or face challenges for one or more of the following reasons:
- Inadequate blood flow Good blood flow contributes significantly to the bodys natural healing processes. In order to heal, tissue and bone need proper nutrients and oxygen, which are delivered via the bloodstream. If you have a history of poor circulation, have a proper evaluation before any surgery.
- Spreading infection or cancer If you are contemplating below knee amputation because of infection or tumors, its important to know the extent of the issue. Infections or tumors found above the knee may require a more extensive amputation.
- Muscle loss or scar tissue Muscle loss or scar tissue can inhibit the bodys ability to heal. Below knee amputees must have sufficient skin and muscle for the wound to heal properly and to use a prosthetic.
- Inadequate knee function Limited knee function or significant knee pain may inhibit your ability to use a prosthetic following BKA surgery.