How long a total knee replacement lasts depends on the usage, the types of activities, total body weight, age of the patient, and post-operative care. In many patients, total knee replacement lasts a lifetime.
Up to the age of 75-80 years provided you are medically fit and your activities of daily living are restricted by painful arthritis of knee joints.
Total knee replacement surgery is for pain relief and mobility, so the patient can expect dramatic relief from chronic suffering and resume daily activities. If the patient had a bow or a knock knee deformity, then he/she can expect it to be corrected.
Avoid activities like jogging, running, and high impact sports. You can resume activities like cycling, swimming, brisk walking, as they are good for the new knee to strengthen and improve its flexibility. Exercises also help to keep the weight down. One may be able to sit down and even squat, but for the long term durability of the implant, avoid these activities on a daily or regular basis.
It is not uncommon to find swelling in the knee and feet after exercises or activity in the first few weeks or months (upto 6-8 months) and is usually quite well tolerated. Ice and elevation are helpful. But if the swelling is large and associated with increased pain, redness, or drainage from or around the surgical incision, the patient must immediately contact the doctor.
If the preoperative tests are normal and the patient is fit to undergo both knee surgeries, the surgeon can do it in the same setting. However, it is advisable to do it with a gap of 2 days, as the patient recovers from the first surgery.
This requirement differs from person to person. If the patient’s muscles are weak, then physiotherapy is needed for a little longer. With the Minimally Invasive Muscle Sparing Technique, the requirement for physiotherapy support is less.
Most patients go home in 2-3 days. With Minimally Invasive surgery, wherein the muscles are not cut, the recovery time is faster, and most patients are up and about (most of them even without a stick) in 2-3 days.
Generally, at two weeks from surgery, sutures or clips are removed. The next visits are at six weeks, three months, and annually with an X-ray of the knee.
Yes, it is a must that the patient takes a full course of antibiotics if he/she is going through any medical procedure like a dental procedure, any small surgery, or a colonoscopy.
Usually, about 2 pints of blood are reserved for this major surgery and transfused only if necessary. When there is ample time for surgery, the patient can donate his/her blood. With modern drugs nowadays used in the operating room, the requirement for blood has dramatically come down.
