Knee Surgery Rarely Causes Complications

On rare occasions a patient may have complications after knee surgery; however, this happens less than 2% of the time. Sometimes the knee joint may become infected. Even more rarely, heart attack or stroke may occur.

Chronic illness increases the likelihood of complications and may cause rehabilitation to take longer. Additionally, a chronic illness may prevent the patient from recovering completely.

A fairly commonly experienced complication of knee surgery is clotting in the veins of the leg. You can avoid this by simply following your orthopedic surgeons orders. You will be sent home with instructions to elevate your legs on a regular basis, perform prescribed exercises, perhaps take blood thinning medications, and perhaps even use support stockings. Be sure to follow these instructions to the letter, and you should have no problems.

Sometimes the components of the replacement may loosen or the bearing surfaces may become worn. This is quite rare because the materials and techniques used for knee replacement surgery are quite sophisticated and of the highest quality.

After surgery, you can generally expect to have a ROM (range of motion) of 115. This may vary, however, for a number of reasons. First, if you had very severely limited ROM (range of motion) before the surgery, it will likely remain a bit limited after the surgery. Additionally, on rare occasions, there is some scarring of the tissues of the knee or, even less often, there may be damage to the nerves and blood vessels.

Click here for more on knee surgery complications .

If you have concerns about complications, discuss them thoroughly with your orthopedic surgeon.

What to Expect During Home Recovery

Ninety percent of the time, you can expect your knee replacement to last for 10 years or so. To be sure you get the most use possible from your knee replacement, follow the instructions your orthopedic surgeon will give you. Elevate your leg, do your prescribed exercises, take blood thinning medications as instructed, and use support stockings if your doctor tells you to. By doing this, you will greatly extend the life of your knee replacement implant.

Caring For Your Wound During Home Recovery

You can expect your wound to be closed by either exterior sutures or staples or interior sutures. In the case of exterior closure, your orthopedic surgeon will want to see you again in a few weeks for removal. If you have subcutaneous sutures, you will not need to return for removal. They will dissolve on their own.

Protect your wound from excessive moisture. Keep it dry until it is completely healed. Use a bandage to protect it from being scraped and rubbed by your support hose or your clothes.

Stay Active

After your surgery, be sure to do the exercises your orthopedic surgeon prescribes. At first you may feel some pain during exercise and also at night when you are resting. This is to be expected and will subside. You will be able to resume your regular activities 3-6 weeks after surgery.

Dr. Tarlow is a Board Certified Orthopaedic Surgeon with over 20 years specializing in knee surgery. He opened his own clinic, Advanced Knee Care, with a focus on specialty patient care. Click here to learn more about Dr. Tarlow, knee surgeries and anterior cruciate ligament surgery.

categories: doctor,medicine,knee,retirement,surgery,athlete,school,education,sports,insurance,health,aging,nutrition