Whether it's the result of past injuries or an underlying condition like arthritis, knee pain can have a big effect on your mobility, independence and quality of life.
We talked with Rush Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine surgeon Matthew Squire, MD, MS, who has performed nearly 10,000 joint replacement procedures, about getting back to a pain-free life.
Lifestyle changes can help
If you’re overweight, your first line of attack against mild arthritic knee pain might be weight loss and exercise to reduce stress on the knee joint and strengthen the muscles around it. Other noninvasive options your health care provider may recommend include physical therapy and medications to reduce pain and inflammation.
But if you’re still having serious daily pain, Squire says, it’s time to consider knee replacement surgery.
"If imaging shows significant arthritis, and your pain is interrupting your life, the upgrade you can get from knee replacement is tremendous. Most patients report that two to eight weeks after surgery, their new knee feels better than their old knee.”
Knee replacement surgery isn’t what it used to be
A lot of people have outdated ideas about knee replacement surgery, Squire says, thinking that it involves removal of large pieces of bone from the femur (thigh bone) and tibia (shin bone) and a long hospital stay — but that couldn’t be further from the truth.
“Through the smallest incision possible, we open the knee, move the kneecap to one side, and remove only about eight to10 millimeters (3/8 to 1/2 inch) off the surfaces of the femur and the tibia,” he explains. “Once we do that, we put a surface replacement material on the top of the tibia and the bottom of the femur, replacing the diseased cartilage and meniscus,” a pad of cartilage that acts as a shock absorber.
Then, the surgeon selects plastic inserts that fit precisely into the space between the bones.
“We have so many options that we’re able to customize the feel and stability of the knee,” Squire says. And, he adds, today’s advanced surgical techniques and materials mean that knee replacements routinely last for 25 years or longer, disproving another myth about knee replacement: that you should wait as long as possible before having surgery.
This minimally invasive surgical approach means that most people who get knee replacements can go home the same day as their surgery.
“Everyone is different and of course we make the decision based on the individual,” Squire says, factoring in overall health, ability to walk without help, home support, medical conditions and other considerations.
“But for most folks under 75 who meet the criteria, it’s a same-day discharge. Between ages 75 and 80 is more of a gray zone and we let the patients choose. For people over 80, we recommend that they spend one night in the hospital for observation.”
People vastly prefer to recover at home, in Squire’s experience. “There's nothing more comfortable than your own home, and patients recover better and faster with the support of their family. We've made it safe and easy to have an excellent recovery process.”
