With age, the joint is destroyed, pain occurs, a person loses the ability to walk. To restore limb function, in most cases, specialists offer surgical treatment – endoprosthetics .
The procedure is a complete or partial replacement of the knee joint and consists in installing a prosthesis instead of the upper part of the tibia and the lower part of the femur. Moreover, depending on the features of each of the sites, various materials are used. Dentures are made of ceramics, metal alloys or plastic. The part that replaces the patella is made of plastic, the part adjacent to the femur is made of a biocompatible alloy, and on the sides of the tibia is a combination of plastic and metal.
In 85-95% of cases, the life of the prosthesis exceeds 10 years. The most common problem in these patients is joint weakening. As a rule, the cause of its occurrence is excessive motor activity or high loads associated with a large person’s weight.
With the development of complications or due to wear of the prosthesis, as well as after the end of the life of the prosthesis, a second replacement is possible – revision surgery. But it is important to consider that the risk of complications will be significantly higher, and the results are worse in comparison with the first operation.
Replacement of the knee joint is carried out with severe lesions in the bone-cartilage tissue, this procedure has no urgent indications and is always carried out in a planned manner. For example, with developed arthrosis of the knee joint, rheumatoid arthritis. The operation to replace the knee joint is performed under general or epidural
(local) anesthesia.
A surgeon robot will come to the rescue
An artificial joint can last from 10 to 15 years, but what happens if the operation is performed using a robot surgeon? An expert from the USA Leonid Dabuzhsky shared his experience .
Leonid Dabuzhsky , orthopedic surgeon, director of the Center for Joint Replacement in Boston (USA), for the last 7 years has been doing operations to replace the knee joint exclusively with the help of a robot. At the very beginning of the operation, he enters the anatomy of the patient’s knee into the computer, after which he performs a virtual operation on the computer screen. Here’s how he commented on his technique:
“I BALANCE SOFT TISSUES, INSTALL COMPONENTS ON THE BONE, TAKING INTO ACCOUNT ANATOMICAL VARIATIONS OF THIS PATIENT. AND WHEN THE COMPLETELY PERFECT PICTURE OF KNEE REPLACEMENT APPEARS ON THE COMPUTER SCREEN, THIS INFORMATION IS ENTERED INTO THE COMPUTER ROBOT, AND THE ROBOT AFTER THIS IS KEEPING THE APPLIANCE THROUGH WHICH I AM ALL AT ALL.
The operation with the help of the robot allows you to achieve recovery in the patient much faster. In addition, the need for reoperation on the knee is reduced by 50%.
What is important for patients to know after arthroplasty
It is important that you follow these guidelines.
- Do not actively engage in sports, the prosthesis is designed only for standard loads. This will significantly extend its service life and minimize the likelihood of complications.
- When seeking medical help, it is important to inform doctors about the availability of a prosthesis.
- It is necessary to strictly follow the doctor’s recommendations on the use of canes (crutches), which allow you to remove the load from the joint, restore the mobility of ligaments and muscles in the rehabilitation period.
- The appearance of symptoms such as swelling, shortness of breath, pain in the chest or joint is a reason for immediately contacting a specialist.