Total Knee Replacement (TKR)
The management options for knee pain include Non-Surgical and Surgical treatments. Ideally the Non-Surgical treatments should be exhausted, before Surgical treatments become necessary.
Total Knee Replacement involves removing the arthritic surfaces of the tibia (shin bone) and femur (thigh bone), to restores the knee to its natural alignment, improves mobility and helps significantly reduce pain.
The Procedure
This procedure, including the anaesthetic and recovery, typically takes 2 to 2.5 hours. Most patients receive a spinal anaesthetic, along with sedation to ensure they remain unaware of the surgery. Sensory nerve blocks are also used to ensure you are as pain free as possible.
An incision is made along the front of the knee, and the arthritic bone is removed and replaced with metal and plastic components. To reduce post-operative pain, a local anaesthetic is applied around the knee. The incision is closed and a dressing is applied. A bandage and ice are used to manage any swelling and bruising.
Recovery
After surgery, most patients experience minimal discomfort and are encouraged to start using the knee straight away. It’s safe to walk on the knee immediately, and physiotherapists will guide you on how to do so safely and to begin activating your quadriceps muscle.
The typical hospital stay is 1 to 2 nights. The bandage is usually removed after 24 hours. Patients are generally reviewed at 10 days (by practice nurse to check wound healing), 6-8 weeks (in Consultant Clinic to assess range of movement, wound and monitor recovery progress).
Swelling and bruising are very common and normal part of the healing process. Ice can continue to be useful to help the management of this in the early days post-op.
Pain management is key to ensure you are adequately pain free to enable you to carry out range of movement exercise throughout the day. Please see Total Knee Replacement Rehabilitation Video for advice on how to best recover following Total Knee Replacement.