Knee injuries can be extremely painful and make it difficult to walk, run, swim, or even sit for extended periods of time. Sometimes an injury, illness, or ageing will cause the knee to deteriorate to a point where surgical assistance is necessary. Physiotherapy, pain medicine, and other treatments may help reduce pain and swelling for a time, but for some people the only long term solution is surgery.
Due to the knee's placement on the body and use as a joint, this can be a fairly invasive procedure, and can be quite intimidating for patients who require it. Fortunately, before going under the knife, there are ways to prepare yourself mentally, through watching a video total knee replacement. For some people, seeing this video helps ease their nerves as it shows a perfectly normal procedure, which will have successful results. For others, this can make the surgical experience worse as it portrays the cutting and mending of the joint, and can be quite graphic.
Knee Replacement In The United States:
Within the United States, knee replacement therapy is known to be one of the most popular and successful surgeries performed, with each calendar year seeing more than six thousand total knee replacements. That would be a lot of video total knee replacement to watch. Due to the common nature of the surgery, there are a number of highly trained and experienced doctors across the country, to whom you can trust your knee and will be assured a quick and healthy recovery.
Getting To Know Your Knee:
Whether you decide to watch a video total knee replacement or want to wait until after the surgery to see all of that open tissue, it is a good idea to have a basic understanding of the knee and the surgery to be performed before you go in. Many online resources, as well as instructional videos can explain that the knee is the largest joint in the body. It attaches the femur to the tibia through the patella, and is covered in cartilage and cushioning. Between the tibia and femur, the menisci are wedged to protect the knee from impact as you walk, run, jog, or even kneel. In addition to these integral knee parts, there are also ligaments, muscle, and tissue surrounding the knee, which help to cushion and protect it.
Like any joint or hinge, the knee requires lubricant, which it gets in the form of a natural substance created by the body. This keeps the joint from rubbing and causing pain. At first glance, the knee looks like a complex but perfectly operating part of the body, but one small mistake in any of these elements, and the knee may not function properly, or it may function with a lot of pain.
During Surgery:
As a video total knee replacement would suggest, knee surgery requires a carefully planned procedure, which begins by removing damaged cartilage and sometimes a small portion of bone to prepare it for mending. This begins when external elements are used to reinforce the joint. Usually these pieces are metal, and are placed in along the joint, where muscle and cartilage have been removed. The metal implants will also require additional components which create space for a smooth bend and glide with each bend of the knee. This smoothness will help ease pain that was being experienced because of friction.