Owing to the rapid innovations and research in the orthopedic field of surgery, total knee replacement (TKR) surgeries have become less complicated and more beneficial to patients with arthritis and knee injuries. With a constant 95% success rate for the past five years and prolonged knee joint longevity, it is also highly recommended to patients of all ages these days. However, like every other musculoskeletal surgery, total knee replacement surgery involves some post-operative symptoms and care. Though none of these symptoms are unique or severe, you must have some basic knowledge of their occurrence and treatments before undergoing surgery.
What Are The Common Post-op Symptoms Of Tkr?
Pain:
If you had your TKR due to arthritis, the pain caused due to the Arthritic condition would perish after surgery. Yet, until the new knee has healed and conformed with the rest of the joint parts, there will be some pain in and around the knee joint as the soft and hard tissues of the knee.
Swelling:
Swelling is common in any injury and a part of the healing process. Most people experience moderate swelling around the treated joint for as little as a few weeks to at most three months.
Bruising:
Bruising usually occurs with the swelling as a purple-blackish discoloration over the skin surface, which is only due to the blood gathering around the treated site. One might also experience some tenderness around the knee along with bruising, which will subside in one or two weeks.
Muscle Soreness:
The knee joint has several tendons and muscles holding the bones together. As the knee is replaced, some of these muscles will feel sore and uncomfortable until full recovery.
Immobility:
It is only apparent to keep the replaced knee immobile for better recovery, but this also makes it stiff and resistant after partial recovery.
Warming:
Patients also complain about feeling a growing warmth around the treated knee that lasts for a few months. This is primarily due to the excessive blood rushing in and out of the surgical wound to heal it.
How Are These Symptoms Treated?
Home Remedies:
Wearing compression stockings will be mandatory for at least the first two weeks to prevent blot clotting around the surgical wound. These stockings will also help relieve the pain to some extent.
Medications:
Your surgeon will most probably prescribe some nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for relieving pain and inflammation for several weeks.
Physical Therapy:
After your knee has started to heal, your surgeon will ask you to visit a physical therapist who will provide massages and movement therapy to ensure that the joint doesn’t become stiff.
They will also assign a specific set of exercises to perform until the knee is healed completely. These exercises will aim at strengthening your muscles, increase your range of motion, and increase blood flow around your knee.
Similarly, they will inform you of the movements and activities that you are to avoid altogether until significant recovery.
The TKR surgery is highly personalized to each person’s condition, so the recovery process also needs some personalization, which can only be decided by your doctor. If you’re looking for a good orthopedic treatment in Wakad who can help you understand this surgery and its recovery process in detail, our orthopedic surgeons are your best choice. Visit the Alpha Hospital website to reach out to them and learn how we provide the most advanced knee replacement surgery in Wakad.