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Alternative to Surgical Knee Replacement

The knee seems to be a joint prone to problems from gout to injury. Some conditions may even lead to your doctor recommending knee replacement surgery. Severe arthritis of the knee, tumors, infections, obesity, poor blood flow and weak quadriceps are all reasons for knee replacement. The surgery involves the total removal of the existing knee joint and the replacement of it with a prosthetic knee. There are alternatives though.

  1. Problem with Replacement Surgery

    • All surgeries come with risk. Knee replacement surgery can cause infection, the need for additional surgeries, injury to nerves and blood vessels and blood clots. Because of this many people will seek other options to the surgery. Some options can be done at home. Others are done under the supervision of an orthopedist. They may be combinations of exercise, medicine, braces and arthroscopy. Their effectiveness depends on the condition of the knee.

    Exercise

    • Regular exercise will maintain muscle strength around the knee and the joint's range of motion. If the poor knee condition has been caused by arthritis, exercise can reduce the severity of the symptoms. The focus of the exercise is on low-impact and nonweight-bearing activities, such as yoga, bicycling or water exercises. Exercise may also help the person lose weight, which will reduce the weight on the knee joint and reduce stress on the joint.

    Braces

    • Knee braces can transfer stress off the knee. This relieves some of the pain in the knee. Braces tend to be helpful only where the knee cartilage hasn't totally degenerated. Also, braces can be uncomfortable to wear and irritating to the skin.

    Supplements

    • Glucosamine/chondroitin helps decrease inflammation and preserve cartilage. Besides taking medication in pill form, it might also be given as an injection directly into the knee to speed relief. It can act as both an anti-inflammatory or a joint lubricant.

    Medications

    • Anti-inflammatories like ibuprofen and naproxen can relieve pain in the joint by reducing swelling of the area. This makes it easier to cope with the symptoms and easier for the knee to move. Ibuprofen can be purchased over the counter while many others will require a doctor's prescription. Ibuprofen should be tried first. If it works, it is cheaper to use and less likely to have side effects than prescription medications.

    Arthroscopy

    • Arthroscopy is a minimally invasive surgical technique. Small cuts are made around the knee and an arthroscope is inserted that allows the physician to examine the knee from inside the body. Degenerating cartilage can be trimmed and smoothed to reduce inflammation. Recovery time from arthroscopy is only four to six weeks. However, this technique offers little help with advanced arthritis where there is little cartilage to work with.

    Unispacer

    • A unispacer is a metallic disk inserted in the knee joint. It relieves pain by keeping tension on the ligaments and keeping the knee properly aligned. It doesn't require that the knee be removed, and the implant does not have to be cemented in place.

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