From arthritis to sport injuries, birth defects to car accidents, sometimes surgery is necessary to replace certain bones and joints in a person’s body. Because a knee replacement is known to be the most intense of any orthopedic surgery, it is best to know what you are getting into before you allow the doctor to perform surgery. As complicated as this type of surgery may be, the outcome of any type of knee replacement is almost always worth the time you will spend in recovery.
Total Knee Replacement Recovery
Because of all it entails, having to remove the entire knee cap and any surrounding bone, the pain associated with a total knee replacement varies from person to person. Although it is an intense surgery, most patients will be up and moving within 24 hours of the surgery to keep the joint from becoming stiff and to keep the muscles in the surrounding area in motion. Pain medications are very vital during all this because starting physical therapy and beginning recovery will bring a great amount of pain.
Physical therapy will be key in recovery: a physical therapist’s job is to make sure that the muscles remember how to work properly and to get you used to the feel and function of the replacement. Typically, a patient who has gone through a total knee replacement will be placed under a doctor’s care for up to 6 months, after having been released from the hospital 2 to 3 days after the surgery. After that, there will be multiple checkups, rehab sessions and prescribed daily exercises. The point in all this is not to cause more pain to you as the patient but to make sure that you are experiencing the best recovery possible.
Partial Knee Replacement Recovery
Depending on the severity of the damage done to the injured knee, sometimes a total knee replacement is not necessary. Often certain parts of the knee can remain unharmed while others are in great need of replacement. If this is the case, only the damaged part of the knee is removed and replaced. The recovery time for a total knee replacement is generally 6 weeks until a person is able to move around freely. With a partial knee replacement, recovery time is most often shorter. Physical therapy and pain medications are still necessities, but not to the same extent.
Double Knee Replacement Recovery
Because knee replacement patients are most often between the ages of 60 and 75, a double knee replacement is an appealing option to consider. The recovery, although more intense by nature, generally takes the same amount of time as a total knee replacement. Just as with any type of knee replacement, physical therapy, pain medications, and a doctor’s oversight will still be needed. The reason many people opt for a double knee replacement is so they only have to experience that struggle and recovery once, instead of dragging it out over 2 separate occasions.