[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/reflexknees.com\/blogs\/knee-replacement-surgery-need-to-know\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/reflexknees.com\/blogs\/knee-replacement-surgery-need-to-know\/","headline":"Knee Replacement Surgery: Need to Know","name":"Knee Replacement Surgery: Need to Know","description":"Promising new treatments for knee osteoarthritis\u00a0(OA) and acute injuries\u00a0such as meniscal tears are in progress. Researchers are closer than ever to finding the way to regrow cartilage and tissue. But while extensive clinical trials are still underway,\u00a0regenerative treatments\u00a0are considered experimental by the FDA which means knee replacement surgery\u00a0might\u00a0seem like\u00a0their\u00a0best option for many people.   Need […]","datePublished":"2016-07-18","dateModified":"2024-01-11","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/reflexknees.com\/author\/developer\/#Person","name":"Nick Petersen","url":"https:\/\/reflexknees.com\/author\/developer\/","identifier":2,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8ea7fc410413ee0b715aee4c6b2d912c09623af5f85eaca6f6d7e0a2c223e1df?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8ea7fc410413ee0b715aee4c6b2d912c09623af5f85eaca6f6d7e0a2c223e1df?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Reflex Knee Specialists","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"http:\/\/b1ec2b6df7.nxcli.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/logo.png","url":"http:\/\/b1ec2b6df7.nxcli.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/logo.png","width":169,"height":104}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/reflexknees.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/2517535.webp","url":"https:\/\/reflexknees.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/2517535.webp","height":1536,"width":1536},"url":"https:\/\/reflexknees.com\/blogs\/knee-replacement-surgery-need-to-know\/","about":["Blogs"],"wordCount":523,"articleBody":"Promising new treatments for knee osteoarthritis\u00a0(OA) and acute injuries\u00a0such as meniscal tears are in progress. Researchers are closer than ever to finding the way to regrow cartilage and tissue. But while extensive clinical trials are still underway,\u00a0regenerative treatments\u00a0are considered experimental by the FDA which means knee replacement surgery\u00a0might\u00a0seem like\u00a0their\u00a0best option for many people. Need to Know About 720,000 total knee replacements take place in the US every year, around 14,000 of those can lead to infections which can be incredibly painful, difficult to diagnose, and require additional surgeries to treat. There are also potential postoperative complications such as continued pain and swelling, heart attack, blood clots, stroke\u00a0and kidney failure. On average, most joint replacements only last\u00a015-20 years, which means if you\u2019re\u00a0under 70 the odds are good that you\u2019ll need at least one additional surgery to replace the hardware. If you don\u2019t have a primary care physician that can make an orthopedic referral you trust, then you need to start doing some homework.\u00a0Safe Patient Project\u00a0works to help patients avoid infections and other complications in hospitals. They recommend finding out:what the hospital\u2019s infection rate iswhat the surgeon\u2019s complication rate ishow many knee replacements the surgeon performs every yearwhether or not the device they use has ever been the subject of a recallThe Short and Long Look With so many knee replacement surgeries\u00a0performed every year there are thousands of\u00a0patient stories\u00a0out there. Some detailing a challenging road with a successful outcome, and others expressing disappointment or worse at the process and results. How long you stay in the hospital depends on how your surgery went and how you\u2019re responding to\u00a0physical therapy. On average you\u2019ll stay there 1-3 days then be sent straight home. You might be\u00a0released to a rehab facility for about a week if you cannot get out of bed on your own or are still dependent on painkillers. For the next two years, your knee will be healing, creating scar tissue and restoring the strength of your surrounding muscles. A\u00a0study was conducted\u00a0to determine what factors could help predict the patient\u2019s functional ability one and two years after knee replacement\u00a0surgery. They found that factors like a higher body mass index or older patients had a negative impact on the increased functionality post-surgery. The research also showed that physical therapy needed to be conducted on the leg not operated on to ensure the improvement of the patients overall functionality. You Have Choices If you haven\u2019t tried less invasive solutions like physical therapy or\u00a0injections\u00a0to relieve your knee pain, those are a good place to start, leaving surgery as your last resort. If you\u2019ve exhausted your options and are looking into surgery, you need to know that not all surgeons, hospitals, and rehab programs are created equal, and it\u2019s incredibly important to do your homework before committing to a physician and facility. Learn about your non-surgical treatment options for knee injuries and knee pain."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Blogs","item":"https:\/\/reflexknees.com\/blogs\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Knee Replacement Surgery: Need to Know","item":"https:\/\/reflexknees.com\/blogs\/knee-replacement-surgery-need-to-know\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]