Most people who have a knee replacement are over 60 years of age. If you have the operation when you're under 50, you may need another knee replacement in later life.
Knee replacement has traditionally been reserved for the older population. Currently, the average age of a patient who gets knee replacement surgery in the United States is around 65 years old. Generally, surgeons consider anyone under age 50 to be young for knee replacement.
Age alone is no bar to surgery. Older and younger people benefit equally, as long as they are generally healthy to start. However, people under 60 are encouraged to delay total knee replacement if they can.
You may be offered knee replacement surgery if: you have severe pain, swelling and stiffness in your knee joint and your mobility is reduced. your knee pain is so severe that it interferes with your quality of life and sleep. everyday tasks, such as shopping or getting out of the bath, are difficult or impossible.
You may NOT be a good candidate if:
Your knee symptoms are not related to joint disease. Your weight is too much for the artificial joint to support. You have fragile skin or poor skin coverage over your knee. You have a severe illness or infection.
What the study found. In a study published in the Arthritis and Rheumatology Journal, experts concluded that walking could help people with knee osteoarthritis. It confirmed what many experts believe: Walking for exercise can help reduce pain and disability related to arthritis.
The most common reason for knee replacement surgery is to ease pain caused by arthritis. People who need knee replacement surgery usually have problems walking, climbing stairs and getting up out of chairs. If only one part of the knee is damaged, surgeons often can replace just that part.
When quantifying how much pain there is after surgery, it is relative to the patient. The pain after a knee replacement is typically no worse than one of your worst days before you had surgery. However, you can feel this way for the first two to three weeks after the day of surgery.
As knee arthritis progresses, the knee becomes much looser and more unstable. In some cases, this is mild. In other cases, it is substantial enough that cause the patient to fall. Patients who have bone-on-bone arthritis and are starting to fall because of it should strongly consider surgery.
NYU Langone doctors often recommend nonsurgical options as a first-line treatment for a knee cartilage injury. These include anti-inflammatory medication, physical therapy, and injections into the joint, including steroids; hyaluronic acid, also known as synthetic joint fluid; and platelet-rich plasma (PRP).
The average recovery time from knee replacement surgery is approximately six months, but it can take roughly 12 months to fully return to physically demanding activities.
Some Basic Facts on Knee Replacement Cost
According to one surgical cost estimator, the average cost for an uninsured patient receiving a total knee replacement is about $35,000. Often, patients who are paying out-of-pocket can negotiate a self-pay discount with the surgeon and surgery center.
While the bone healing into the undersurface of the implants is mostly complete after six weeks, the rest of the body usually requires four to six months of training before running is safe.
While common, total knee replacement is a major surgery, and recovery requires several months of physical therapy.
Patients generally experience more pain after a knee replacement than after a hip replacement because the knee can swell and become tight and stiff. This can make everyday activities like bending more difficult.
The operation usually takes about 1 to 2 hours. The type of surgery you have depends on things like how damaged your knee is, your age and your general health.
How Long Does It Take to Walk After a Full Knee Replacement? In most cases, patients can walk without help from assistive devices like crutches or a walker within six weeks after knee replacement surgery.
Effectiveness of total knee replacement
Many studies show that 90-95 percent of total knee replacements are still functioning well 10 years after surgery.
There is a range of accepted weight ranges, but the current standard is that anyone obese (greater than 100 pounds over ideal weight or a BMI of roughly 40-45) should not consider joint replacement.
Genicular nerve radiofrequency ablation is a minimally invasive treatment for knee pain due to osteoarthritis of the knee, and can significantly reduce pain, especially for adults who are 50 and older.
Over-the-counter medications — such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others) and naproxen sodium (Aleve) — may help ease knee pain. Some people find relief by rubbing the affected knee with creams containing a numbing agent, such as lidocaine, or capsaicin, the substance that makes chili peppers hot.
High-impact exercises can further injure painful knees. Avoid jarring exercises such as running, jumping, and kickboxing. Also avoid doing exercises such as lunges and deep squats that put a lot of stress on your knees. These can worsen pain and, if not done correctly, cause injury.
Most articles about joint replacement surgery (and the surgeons who perform them) make statements such as: "The vast majority of patients who have their knees replaced are markedly improved" or "More than 80% of people who have their hip replaced are glad they had it done." While these statements are generally quite ...