Whether you are casually walking or playing any outdoor game, both of your knees are always hard at work. In fact, daily movements such as standing and sitting put a lot of pressure on the knee joints. Undeniably, knee joints play a crucial role in the mobility of your body. The knee is the largest and one of the most common injured joints. Clearly, chronic knee problems can make your life stressful. Thus, it’s imperative to maintain healthy and strong knees. Keep in mind that one bad fall can lead to knee surgery.
According to a recent survey report, knee pain is the most common complaint with a lot of causes. The most common causes of knee pain are cartilage tears, arthritis, tendonitis, sprained or strained ankles, etc. Sadly, knee pain can affect people of all ages. Well, minor or temporary knee pain can be treated with self-care measures. In fact, using knee braces and taking regular sessions of physical therapy or physiotherapy can help you get rid of knee pain. However, some serious cases require surgical repair. Basically, doctors recommend surgery when your knee joints don’t respond to physical therapy, medications, and treatments.
Most Common Types Of Knee Surgery
Total Knee Replacement Surgery
Clearly, total knee replacement or arthroplasty is one of the most common types of knee surgery for osteoarthritis or any other extensive knee injury. Well, the reason is that such conditions lead to severe pain, inflammation and limit the patient’s range of motion. Over time, the patient cannot be able to perform daily activities like walking, sitting, or lying down. Honestly, repair techniques don’t work in such knee problems. Therefore, doctors recommend total knee surgery in which the complete knee joint is replaced with another. Apart from this, keyhole knee surgery has a couple of other benefits.
Knee Arthroscopy
Today, arthroscopy technology is used in most cases of knee surgery. It is a minimally invasive procedure that doesn’t require much time for recovery. This results in less joint stiffness, less pain, and less time to go back to your normal lifestyle. During this procedure, a surgeon inserts a small camera to diagnose and treat knee problems. The best part is that this surgical procedure is done with very small incisions.
Partial Knee Replacement Surgery
There are some knee problems that do not require full knee replacement. In simple terms, it is an alternative treatment to total knee replacement, but only if the damage is confined to a specific part of the knee joint.
Recovery After Knee Surgery
The recovery phase is extremely important after knee surgery. According to a report from the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons (AAHKS), a patient can take up to 3 months to recover completely from a knee surgical procedure. However, recovery time may vary depending on the type of knee surgery.
Following are some tips that can help you speed up the healing process after knee surgery:
Listen and Follow All Recommendations Of Your Surgeon
You need to understand that your knee surgeon is a medical expert who knows what recovery requires. So, always listen to your surgeon and follow all the recommendations. Whether your surgeon is recommending bed rest or prescribing medication, follow everything. Not listening to your surgeon’s recommendations can prolong your recovery timeline and may worsen your condition.
Keep Your Knee Straight
Undeniably, it’s tempting to sit comfortably and prop your legs on a pillow but can elongate your recovery time. If you want to recover fast after knee surgery, then you should keep your knee joint completely straight. Certainly, you may not feel comfortable keeping your knee joint straight, but you have to. Keep in mind that your knee joint is weak after recovery and requires ample time to heal. So, keep your knee joint straight unless your doctor asks you to bend it.
Wear Your Knee Brace
Usually, doctors recommend a knee brace after knee surgery to support ligaments and bones during the healing process. Wearing a knee brace after surgery can help you limit movement and keep your knee straight. Apart from this, it prevents your knee joint from external damage. Doubtlessly, a knee brace can help you protect and stabilize your knee joint, which leads to a quick recovery.
Get Plenty Of Sleep
Plenty of sleep is a very important part of the recovery process. In fact, a lot of restoration happens while a patient sleeps. For fast and smooth recovery, it’s imperative to get plenty of sleep after knee surgery. Of course, you can read books and watch your favorite movies, but you shouldn’t compromise your sleeping cycle.
Conclusion
The recovery time after knee surgery depends on many things including the type of the surgical procedure, patient’s age, patient’s condition, overall health, and more. So, be patient and take proper rest. However, following your surgeon’s advice can help you recover fast and prevent further health issues.
