You might need a total knee replacement if you have significant damage to your knee joint. Different types of medical conditions can damage this joint, such as:

Osteoarthritis (most common)

Rheumatoid arthritis

Osteonecrosis

Injury or fracture of the knee joint

Bone tumor in the knee joint

This damage might be very painful and limit your normal activities. The procedure may help decrease your pain, improve your joint mobility, and quality of life. Usually, I only recommend total knee replacement when you still have significant problems after trying more conservative treatments, like pain medicines exercises and viscosupplementation injections).

Most people do very well with their minimally invasive total knee replacement. But as with any surgery, the procedure does carry some fairly rare risks. Possible complications of the surgery include:

Infection

Excess bleeding

Blood clots causing pulmonary embolism or stroke

Injury to nearby nerves

Loosening of the components of the knee

Limited motion of the knee

There is also a very slight risk that the procedure might not relieve your pain. Your own risk of complications may vary according to your age and your other medical conditions.

All these risk factors are easily avoidable by good preoperative screening followed by rapid mobilisation after surgery and safety protocols

Please give details of all the medicines you are taking, including:

All prescription medicines

Over-the-counter medicines such as aspirin or ibuprofen

Street drugs

Herbs, vitamins, and other supplements

Ask if there are any medicines you should stop taking ahead of time, like blood thinners.

If you smoke, you have to quit before your surgery.

If you are overweight, we may advise you to try to lose weight before your surgery.

Don’t eat or drink after midnight the night before your procedure.

You may want to make some changes to your house, to make your recovery smoother. This includes things like adding a handrail in your shower.

Standing X-rays of the knee joits, to get information regarding the amount of wear and tear in the knee and to calculate the degree of deformity if present.

CT SCAN of your knee joints if you are to undergo a Robotic arm assisted total knee replacemnet

Preoperative blood investigations include

CBC,RFT,LFT,BLOOD GROUP,APTT,INR,HIV,HBSAG,HCV

Urine routine, microscopy and culture sensitivity

Electrocardiogram (ECG) and Chest Xray

2D ECHO

you will be given spinal or general anesthesia so that you’ll sleep through the surgery and won’t feel any pain or discomfort during the procedure. Or you may receive local anesthesia and a medicine to keep you relaxed but awake.

A healthcare professional will carefully watch your vital signs, like your heart rate and blood pressure, during the surgery.

You may receive antibiotics, during and after the procedure, to help prevent infection.

an incision is made over the middle of your knee, cutting through your skin and underlying tissue.

the damaged portions of your thigh and shin bone are removed with a saw blade.

Next, metal implants are placed into the joint space, usually cementing them into the remaining bone.

A plastic spacer is inserted into the space between the metal implants, for ease of movement.

The layers of your skin and muscle will be surgically closed.

You may have rarely have significant pain around your incision after your procedure, but pain medicines may help to relieve your pain. You should be able to get back to a normal diet 4-6 hours after the surgery.

You shall b standing after 6 hours after surgery and then atleast three times daily over the next 2 days.

Toilet or commode training starts the day after surgery .

Staircase climbing and active and passive knee exercises are started from day 2 of surgery

You may get imaging, like an X-ray, to see the results of the surgery. You might be able to go home within a day or two.

You might need to use a cane, walker, or crutches for a few days or weeks. A physical therapist can help you maintain your range of motion and strength. You should be able to go back to most light activities within a few weeks. During this time, you may find it helpful to have some extra help at home.

You might have some fluid draining at the incision site. This is normal. Please let us know right away if you have an increase in redness, swelling, or draining at the incision site. You should also inform us if you have a high fever, chills, or severe pain that does not improve.

You shall come for a dressing check after 7 days post surgery and shall come for suture removal on he 14th day after surgery.

Most people note a significant decrease in their pain following a total knee replacement. You may have some remaining stiffness in the joint, as well as more limited range of motion.

The mechanical parts of your knee may wear out or loosen over time. Because of this, you may need revision surgery at some point. But most people will still have functioning knee replacements 15 years after their surgery. You may be able to extend the life of your implant through regular low-impact exercise, while avoiding high-impact exercise (like jogging), and taking precautions to avoid falls.

Most of the patients in the past dreaded the intractable pain of a total knee replacement.

The maximum intensity of pain is during the initial 48 hours post surgery and is found to be the major factor due to which they are unable to walk.

But today with the latest techniques of anaesthesia (Spinal Epidural anaesthesia)and with intra articular infiltration anaesthesia patients rarely feel the pain for the first 48 hours after surgery.

The use of Adductor canal blocks and local blocks have greatly reduced the need for heavy painkillers post surgery.

As the patients are absolutely painfree post surgery they easily stand and walk as soon as 6 hours after surgery gaining confidence and making physiotherapy and rehabilitation much easier.