Introduction
Having bad knees can make for some very long days if you are the one suffering with the pain. There are two main reasons why people need to have a knee replacement. One has to do with age and getting arthritis, and the other is an injury that will not heal. After having your surgery, you will be doing physical therapy as a way to get your knee better and to be able to use it again. You can help to lessen the risks and complications that are associated with replacement knee surgery if you listen to your doctor and do not try to do too much too soon.
History
One of the biggest risks when you have replacement knee surgery is getting blood clots. Blood clots can happen in the large veins of the legs and pelvic area of the body. The cause after having surgery is being immobile. There are things that can be done to help stop them from forming. Some doctors will give you blood thinners until you are once again able to get more activity. People get blood clots in the legs because they are not moving much and after having surgery, your blood can be sluggish. Some doctors will also give you compression stockings to wear. These are for your legs and force the blood to flow freely in your legs. It seems that people that are overweight or obese have more of an issue with blood clots.
Another issue that people have is getting an infection after having replacement knee surgery. This is not a common condition but it can happen. Sometimes a surgeon will have to go in and take out the replacement joint and clear out the infection. An infection can happen soon after you get the replacement joint or it can happen years after you have it done. Some of the signs that you have an infection include a fever that will not go away and pain in the knee. Sometimes the knee will also start to swell more than normal and can get very painful. If you suspect that you have an infection the best thing that you can do is talk with your doctor.
Features
Two more complications that can happen with replacement knee surgery include stiffness and loosening. The stiffness can be from the scar tissue, which after you have any surgery is your body’s natural defense to healing. Of course there are things that can be done to help the stiffness. One thing to help the stiffness is to start using the knee as soon as possible. You do not want to baby the knee for long or you could end up with a stiff joint for a year. Another thing that can happen is over time the replacement knee joint can become lose. When this happens, you will need to have the joint replaced. Sometimes knee replacement joints only last 10 years, other can last for as long as 30 years. This is one reason why they do not like to do implants on people that are younger.
Tips and comments
One of the best things that you can listen to is any advice that your doctor gives you. You need to get the knee moving but you do not want to push it too soon. Listening to your doctor will be the biggest piece of advice you can listen to.
