Answers About Total Knee Replacement
Have you tried everything to get some relief from your knee pain? If you are no stranger to braces, canes, cortisone injections, and other methods of dealing with knee pain, yet you still have knee pain, you may want to consider total knee replacement. This successful, time-tested method of eliminating knee pain and returning mobility may be exactly what you need.
When you are having problems with stair climbing, walking, standing up, sitting down, and even resting comfortably, you know the time has come to make some real decisions regarding the relief of your knee pain.
Knee replacement surgery has been around since 1968. It has always been a successful surgery, and it was a huge step forward for orthopedic surgery. With advanced materials and techniques, total knee replacement is the most popular surgery performed today. In fact, there are more than 581,000 knee replacement surgeries annually in the U.S.
Have you spoken with your orthopedic surgeon about knee replacement yet, or are you just starting to think about it? Either way, you are sure to find useful information in this article.
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How Is The Knee Put Together?
Three bones make up the knee. The thigh bone, the shin bone, and the knee cap. Your orthopedic surgeon may refer to these as the femur, the tibia, and the patella - respectively. As the largest and most used joint in the body, the knee is most likely to be injured.
The bones of the knee are held together and stabilized by ligaments. These are called the medial and lateral collateral ligaments and the anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments.
Another important part of the knee is the thigh muscle. If the thigh muscles are strong, the knee will also be strong and more stable.
Articular cartilage forms a pad between the bones of the knee. This pad keeps the bones separated and allows them to move without grinding against each other. With this smooth cushioning your knee can move smoothly and easily. Additionally, the knee comes equipped with natural shock absorbers called the lateral menisci. These are semicircular, fibrous cartilage rings that add stability to the overall structure.
All of the bones of the knee are lined with synovial membrane. This thin, smooth tissue makes a special lubricant that keeps all of the parts of the knee operating smoothly.
The parts of the knee should work together to provide decades of trouble free service. Unfortunately, the knees are delicately balanced. If anything happens to throw that balance off - an injury or illness for example - the result can be loss of function, muscle weakness, and pain.
The usual candidate for total knee replacement surgery is between the ages of sixty and eighty; however, this is not always the case. Many very young patients and many very old patients have also had successful knee replacement surgery for everything from juvenile arthritis to degenerative arthritis to injury. When your orthopedic surgeon evaluates your case, he or she will look more at your pain and your loss of mobility than at your age.
Dr. Tarlow is a Board Certified Orthopaedic Surgeon with over 20 years specializing in knee surgery. He opened his own clinic, Advanced Knee Care, with a focus on specialty patient care. Click here to learn more about Dr. Tarlow, knee surgeon and ACL reconstruction.