Before advising to opt for knee arthroplasty, the surgeon needs to diagnose the knee condition, evaluate other alternatives and have a look at medical history and various other things to see if the patient needs a total knee replacement or not. It is a surgical procedure that requires attentiveness and the medical history of the patient must be checked by the surgeon, to see, if the surgery can’t have any side effects.

Thus, the orthopedic evaluation consists of –

• 1. The general surgeon will gather information about the patient’s health and measure the patient’s knee pain and the treatment alternatives.
• 2. The surgeon would assess the knee joint physically by knee motion, stability, strength, alignment.
• 3. X-rays are used most efficiently to judge if the knee joint needs a replacement or alternate medications are better suited.
• 4. Sometimes, MRIs and blood tests are conducted to assess the condition of blood near joint and soft tissues.

All these tests and examinations will go into evaluations of the treatment option – best suited for the patient. If the total knee replacement is the best treatment option for you then, the surgeon will prepare you for that.

In addendum, the surgeon will take you through the potential risks affiliated with the process and will explain to you on what to expect from and after the surgery.

After the preliminary round of medical evaluation – which includes Physical assessment, X-rays, medications and urinal evaluation.

Total knee arthroplasty is one of the most successful yet subtle surgical processes. It requires the precise hands of experienced surgeons. The patients are usually admitted to the hospital on the day of surgery.

The procedure takes about 1-2 hours to complete. The orthopedic surgeon removes the cartilage and joints and replaces it with the plastic mechanized component, to restore and align the knee.

It starts with anesthesia provided to the patients. Then, the knee joint area is incised – as deep as 8-10 inches, knee bent on 90 degrees and the worn-out cartilage is removed out. Now, the back of the patella is resurfaced with the insertion of the plastic component. A flexible cushion usually made of polyethylene called spacer is attached above the tibia surface in order to absorb shocks between the two prosthetic surfaces.

Total knee replacement surgery has emerged as the most viable option for persons suffering from severe arthritis (osteoarthritis). Total knee replacement surgery also known as total knee arthroplasty involves the replacement of natural knee with mechanized parts made of alloys known as prosthesis. Most of the patients who opt for total knee replacement surgery end up happy with their lifestyle greatly improved. Albeit it is the most effective method for treatment of chronic arthritis, yet a range of early complications may arise after total knee replacement surgery. The rate of complications from a total knee replacement is in the range of 1.65-11.3%.

Stiff Joint – This is the most common issue among patients who have their knee replaced. The degree of stiffness of knee joints depends on the movability before the total knee replacement surgery. Treatment for this is aggressive therapy in the early stages to avoid stiffness of the knee.

Infection – It is the most feared complication after total knee replacement concerning patients and doctors.The incidence of infection is reported in less than 1-2% of cases of primary knee arthroplasty and 3-5% in revision knee replacement.

Blood Clot – Blood clots occur in the veins of the leg and they cause swelling and pain in the knees. In some cases, these clots may move up through veins to the lungs and lead to a life-threatening phenomenon known as Pulmonary embolism. This severe issue is also termed as Deep Vein Thrombosis.

Surgeons provide patients with blood thinners before surgery to avoid clotting as much. After the surgery anticoagulation therapy is used to cure patients with DVT.