Preparing your mind for a knee replacement surgery

6 days ago

My girlfriend called me to inform me of the health condition of her Mum, I am aware her Mum has been struggling with arthritis for a while now and she has been managing it, but recently, she could no longer bear the pain and discomfort and she was feeling, so she went to see a specialist, who said her knee had gone bad and what she needed was a knee replacement. The amount for surgery would cost 10 million Naira ($6,447) and we don't even have that, so she asked if there was an alternative, and the response was that she could get an injection of 500,000($322.37) Naira which would relieve the pain, that was a better alternative, so she settled for that option.

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The injection only helped reduce the pain for a few days and it came back again, which means eventually, the only option would be for a knee replacement. I have been a little worried because she is such a wonderful woman, and I do not even have a million talk more than the ten million needed for the surgery. The question I couldn't stop asking myself however is, how did we even get here in the first place?

Knee replacement surgery is carried out to replace all or some of the knee joint, it is a procedure type called an arthroplasty joint replacement. A surgeon will take out the damaged part of the natural knee joint and have it replaced with an artificial joint which is made up of plastic and metal.

Knee replacement is of different types, it could either be a partial or total knee replacement. The total type of knee replacement is the most common type, which would require the surgeon to replace all three areas of the knee joint, the medial which is the inner region, lateral which is the outer region, and the patellofemoral which is the region underneath the kneecap.

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Partial knee replacement just like the name implies requires the replacement of only some parts of the knee joints, most often if only one or two areas are damaged, this type is more common among younger adults who have experienced a trauma or an injury. A knee replacement is usually recommended when there if there is an experience of serious symptoms that refuse to get better after trying different nonsurgical treatments.

Stiffness, difficulty with moving the knee, joint pain, and swelling may also require knee replacement, but the most common condition is arthritis, which is the type that makes people require knee replacement surgery. Although rare, knee replacement can also be advised for a person with a bone fracture in the knee.

On the day of the surgery, anesthesia will be provided to numb the body, and make sure no pain is felt. General anesthesia could be provided to put the patient to sleep, or regional anesthesia to numb the patient from the waist downward. During the procedure; damaged cartilage and bone will be removed, a prosthetic knee joint will be inserted, a plastic spacer that recreates the smooth cushion of the damaged or replaced cartilage will be inserted, the kneecap will be reshaped to fit the new prosthetic knee joint if required. The entire procedure will take about one to two hours.

While preparing for the procedure, a physical examination will be carried out to ascertain the health status of the patient, an electrocardiogram will be used to check heart condition, blood tests, dental examination that will help to reduce the chances of an infection after surgical procedure, and an imaging test which includes a knee X-ray.

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Knee replacement surgery is a safe and effective procedure that has helped so many people with their mobility and relief of long-term pain. After surgery, it usually takes about one year before full recovery, but usually most usual activities should be resumed after six weeks of surgery.

Hopefully, we will be able to get the required funds for the surgery through some form of miracle, there is going to be another doctor's appointment next week and hopefully, another in-expensive type of remedy can be provided.