Avoiding Knee Replacement
Avoiding Knee Replacement
Tips for Avoiding Knee Replacement
What you should know about avoiding knee replacement
What are the keys to avoiding knee replacement. Arthritis is the loss of articular cartilage (the weight-bearing surface of the joint) with changes in the underlying bone and surrounding soft tissue. In the past, when medical therapy failed, arthritis was treated with an artificial knee replacement. Patients with arthritis often limp, develop loss of joint range of motion, and experience pain and swelling. Patients with knee injuries and arthritis are often told to rest their knee and wait for their artificial total knee replacement. Our current advice is quite different. To diminish the symptoms, we encourage active massage, soft-tissue mobilization, and range of motion exercises in conjunction with ice, glucosamine, joint lubrication injections, and anti-inflammatory medications. We encourage active exercises such as bicycling, swimming, yoga, and Pilates and combine these exercises with gait training. Patients are taught healthy nutrition and weight optimization strategies. To delay avoiding knee replacement, we can often surgically replace the damaged meniscus cartilage with a new donor meniscus and graft the damaged articular cartilage with a paste of stem cells, marrow, and cartilage; all in a single, outpatient arthroscopic procedure. By avoiding knee replacement using biologic methods, patients may be able to continue with sports without fear of loosening an artificial joint. We have developed the field of biologic joint replacement so that most of our patients with arthritis, from teenagers to 70 year olds, can be highly active and continue avoiding knee replacement.
If you like this Post, share it with others!
You must be logged in to post a comment.