Knee replacement surgery aims to replace or repair worn-out or damaged parts in a patient’s knee. The damages can be caused by a variety of reasons including sports injury, arthritis, accidents, and many more. With the right knee replacement surgery, patient’s can get the necessary treatment for their knee pain and be able to restore natural leg movement. 

However, up until very recently knee replacement surgery was an open surgery that was expensive, had a lot of risks, and a long recovery period. Thanks to the advancements in medical technology, today knee replacement can be done using cutting-edge minimally invasive procedures. This has made the surgery less risky, and more affordable, and offers a quicker recovery for patients.

With that basic understanding out of the way, let’s learn in detail about what is knee replacement surgery. What is the average knee replacement surgery cost? Why is it performed? And what are its risks and recovery when you get it done from the best knee replacement hospital in India, MASSH.

What Is Knee Replacement Surgery?

Knee replacement surgery is a type of arthroplasty. The surgery involves the surgical reconstruction or replacement of the damaged knee joint using prosthetics. Thanks to the advancements in modern medical tech, knee replacement surgery can now be performed with minimally invasive procedures. This reduces the risk of the surgery and speeds up the recovery significantly.

Due to injury to the articular cartilage, the bones in the knee crush and grind together instead of sliding over each other. This causes acute pain and prohibits normal movement of the knee. Let’s take a look at how the surgery is performed to understand how this surgery helps patients with their knee injuries.

How Is Knee Replacement Surgery Performed?

Knee replacement surgery is generally performed on an outpatient basis with the patient having to take hospital admission only on the day of the surgery. In case if the patient has severe knee injury or is very old, the date of admission can be changed to be made earlier.

The surgery can be performed both under general anaesthesia and local anaesthesia. Also, it is crucial to know that there are two types of knee replacement surgery, total knee replacement and partial knee replacement. Generally, knee replacement surgery refers to total knee replacement surgery, where the end of the thigh bone (femur) and the top of your shin bone (tibia) are prosthetically replaced with metal or plastic parts.

An incision is made on the top of the knee, which allows doctors to operate on the knee joint. The kneecap is pushed to a side to access the knee joint at the back. The doctors remove the damaged bone parts of the femur and tibia and replace it with prosthetic parts. The kneecap is then brought back to its place and the incision is closed up. The entire surgery takes about an hour to two hours to complete.

Who Needs Knee Replacement Surgery?

Even though the surgery has now gotten a lot safer, knee replacement is still a relatively complicated surgery which is not recommended to all patients unless there is just cause. 

Certain orthopaedic conditions can make patients eligible for the surgery, similarly sports injuries or accidents that cause significant damage to the knee can also make patients eligible. To understand who needs this surgery more clearly, let’s take a closer look at the most eligible candidates that can get this surgery and get the most benefits from it.

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is caused by the gradual wear and tear of the knee joint and especially the articular cartilage. This type of arthritis is common among the elderly, although in rare cases it can affect the young population too. Due to the damaged cartilage the bones rub against one another and wear off creating the need for surgical intervention like knee replacement surgery.

Injury

Any injury to the knee that causes the bones of your knee joint to break or the cartilage to tear can require surgical intervention in the form of knee replacement surgery.

What Are The Risks of Knee Replacement Surgery?

As a minimally invasive surgery, there are very few risks in this surgery, especially if you get it done from top hospitals under the guidance of expert doctors. However, as an invasive procedure, certain risks are common for all surgeries, such as:

• Infection: Infection at the surgery site is a common risk for any invasive procedure. However, if you choose to get your surgery done at top hospitals like MASSH, this risk can be mitigated to a great extent.
   
• Blood Clots: To prevent this risk, doctors often recommend patients take blood thinners before or after the surgery to ensure there are no blood clots. Common locations for blood clots are in the legs, which can travel to your lungs and be dangerous for your health.
   
• Nerve Damage: Nerve damage can also be caused due to technical mistakes during the surgery, which can cause damage to the nerves of the areas where the prosthetics are implanted. In case of nerve damage, it can cause weakness, numbness, and pain.

How Long Does It Take To Recover From Knee Replacement Surgery?

Recovery happens in stages after you have gone through a total knee replacement surgery. Right when you wake up from the anesthesia, patients are assisted in walking using aids like crutches and other aids. From there the recovery journey starts with patients being able to completely return to normal lifestyle complete with all types of physical activity as early as 12 weeks. It is important to note that the figure mentioned here is in general terms, how long it takes for you to recover will be based on your diagnosis, age, and general health.

What Is The Average Cost of Knee Replacement Surgery in India?

The average cost of knee replacement surgery in India can differ based on the location. However, on average it is expected that the surgery can cost somewhere between ₹1.5 lakhs to ₹3 lakhs. To learn more about knee replacement surgery costs at MASSH, check out our website. We offer highly specialized surgery with minimal risk available in affordable packages.

Conclusion

Now you have all the basic information you need to know about knee replacement surgery, feel free to check out knee replacement surgery at MASSH. Thanks to our extensive experience with minimally invasive procedures, our team of highly specialized experts, and our world-class infrastructure, we are proud to be one of the top hospitals for knee replacement surgery in India. Check out our website or visit us today to learn more about our knee replacement and other arthroscopic surgeries at MASSH.