3 Warning Signs You Need Knee Replacement Surgery

At McPhilamy Bone and Joint in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeon Dr. Austin McPhilamy evaluates and treats knee pain on a routine basis. An expert in minimally invasive, robotic joint replacement surgery, Dr. McPhilamy restores knee function so you can go about your daily life again.

Every year in the United States, surgeons perform about 790,000 total knee replacement surgeries. Could you benefit from knee replacement surgery? Following are three signs that it might be the best next step for you.

Oh, your aching knee joint

Your knee is a complex hinge joint with many moving parts and supporting tissues. Since it bears the brunt of your weight, it’s subjected to tremendous forces when you walk, run, or jump. 

Those stresses can tear the supporting ligaments, tendons, and muscles, or displace the joint itself, particularly if you twist your knee. Over time, everyday “wear and tear” can also start to break down the cartilage that cushions the bones in your knee joint. 

While knee injuries are especially common in athletes, they can afflict anyone. As you age, your knee is susceptible to arthritis, bursitis, and other degenerative conditions that may leave it swollen, painful, and stiff.

First-line therapy for chronic knee pain includes rest and physical therapy. If that isn’t sufficient, you may take painkillers or receive joint injections. For many people, these conservative care strategies help control knee pain for many years. 

Signs you may need a knee replacement

However, there may come a point when the best strategy to restore pain-free mobility is to undergo total or partial knee replacement surgery. How do you know when that time has arrived? Here are three signs it has: 

1. You’re in constant, severe pain

Whether you injured your knee or you have arthritis, if your knee pain is constant, severe, and unrelenting, you may benefit from partial or total knee replacement. If you’re young and athletic, you may simply need to repair injured tissues. Knee replacements usually aren’t good choices if you’re young, due to the amount of stress you put on them. 

If you have osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis damage, however, it’s only going to get worse as you age. No surgery can replace missing cartilage. Without cartilage, your bones rub against one another, causing pain, swelling, and friction, and may rub against nerves, too. Luckily, total knee replacement surgery can remedy the problem in its entirety.

2. You can’t perform daily tasks without assistance

Even if you soldier through your daily pain, if you can’t perform your daily tasks, you may need a knee replacement. Your knee pain and stiffness shouldn’t prevent you from:

• Walking up and down stairs
• Participating in social activities
• Going outdoors
• Walking without a cane or other assistive device
• Walking without stumbling or falling

Knee arthritis can destabilize your knee, putting you at risk for health- or life-threatening falls. If you’re not able to complete normal daily tasks, or you find yourself struggling to balance and stay upright, it could be time for knee replacement surgery.

3. No other remedies work

Very rarely is knee replacement used as a first-line remedy for a knee injury or knee pain. But if you’ve run through every possible conservative care remedy and still have pain, surgery is often the next best choice. Give us a call if the following strategies no longer control your knee pain or allow greater mobility:

• Strength training
• Physical therapy
• Pain relievers
• Steroid injections
• PRP injections
• Weight loss

Your knee pain may even interfere with your ability to get a full night’s sleep. You may also notice that your knee is constantly swollen or has even become deformed.

How a knee replacement helps

Knee replacement surgery removes diseased or damaged bone and cartilage, then fits the remaining healthy bones with parts that replace the damaged areas. Dr. McPhilamy may recommend either:

Partial knee replacement

Dr. McPhilamy removes the bottom of your thigh bone or the top of your shin bone at the point where they meet in your knee joint. He then resurfaces the treated bone and fits it with an artificial bone end made of titanium.

Total knee replacement

Dr. McPhilamy removes both the bottom of your thigh bone and the top of your shin bone. He prepares the surfaces and fits artificial bone ends that are hinged together. In some instances, he replaces a degraded knee cap with a polyethylene implant.

Whether you’ve had total or partial knee replacement, within two days of your surgery, you should be able to walk with the assistance of a cane, walker, or crutches. Moving your new joint helps your knee heal. You can usually drive a car within three to six weeks, and resume most other activities by the six-week mark. 

Essential to your recovery is working with a physical therapist and getting regular exercise. The average knee replacement can last for 20 years or longer. 

Is your knee chronically stiff, painful, and unresponsive to other therapies? Find out if knee replacement is right for you by contacting our expert team at McPhilamy Bone and Joint in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, today — you can reach us via phone or with our easy online form.