Minimally Invasive Total Knee Replacement
Description
Total knee replacement (arthroplasty) is a surgery that is performed for severe degeneration of the knee joint. More than 300,000 people undergo the procedure each year. Minimally invasive total knee arthroplasty is one method of performing a knee replacement. It uses a smaller incision. Knees wear out for a variety of reasons: these include inflammation from arthritis, injury or simple wear and tear. A knee replacement is the resurfacing of the worn out surfaces of the knee. A surgeon replaces lost cartilage with metal and plastic. This is typically done through an incision down the center of the knee. The incision averages 8 inches to 10 inches long. Minimally invasive total knee arthroplasty is a different way of performing the surgery. It uses an incision that is only 4 inches to 6 inches long. This means that potentially there will be less damage to the tissue around the knee.
Risk Factors/Prevention
Arthritis can be hereditary. Most knee arthritis is due to a lifetime of wear and tear. Nobody knows why some people get severe arthritis, while others don't. Nobody knows why one knee in the same person gets arthritis, while the other does not. Previous injury and obesity are some known causes of arthritis.
Symptoms
- Pain in knee joint
- Difficulty going up and down stairs
- Knees hurt even when resting
- Difficulty walking long distances
- Difficulty getting up from low seats
- Swelling, stiffness or feeling of looseness in the knee
Treatment Options: Non-Surgical
- Modify activities
- Exercise regularly
- Maintain a healthy diet
- Weigh loss, if you are overweight, will reduce the stress on the joints
- Soft knee brace
- Modify what shoes you wear
- Anti-inflammatory medications: Motrin, Advil, Aleve, Naproxen, NSAIDS
- Dietary supplements such as Glucosamine
- Use of a cane or walker to help you walk and improve your mobility
- Injections: Steroids used to decrease inflammation
- Synvisc or Hyalgan injections: act as a lubricant to improve the function of the knee & offer relief.
Treatment Options: Surgical
Surgery is the final step in the treatment of knee arthritis. A knee replacement can help to eliminate most of the pain from arthritis. It is indicated if the steps above have failed and the pain from the arthritis is limiting your lifestyle and activities.
Surgical options include:
- Knee Arthroscopy (although this is rarely used just for arthritis)
- Partial Knee Replacement
- Total Knee Replacement
Total knee replacement can be performed using newer minimally invasive techniques (4 inch to 6 inch incision). The goal of knee replacement is to provide a pain-free knee that allows relatively normal activities and lasts for as long as possible. In order to achieve these goals, it is extremely important that the knee replacement be inserted in the best possible position. The bone and ligaments are prepared very carefully to allow the knee to be functional and durable. Using the current techniques, 90 percent to 95 percent of knee replacements should last 15 years or longer. The minimally invasive knee replacement technique attempts to accomplish all of this through a smaller incision. With the smaller incision come the potential benefits of a shorter hospital stay, a shorter recovery and a better looking scar.
