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In an ideal world, the joints in your body go the distance, providing you with pain-free mobility over the course of your life. Unfortunately, life often has other plans, and joints can wear down, becoming more of a liability than an asset, which is certainly true of your knees.
Each year in the United States, more than 600,000 knee replacement surgeries are performed, with great success — 90% of patients report a significant reduction in pain.
If you’re wondering whether the time has come for knee replacement surgery, the team here at Western Orthopaedics presents the following points to consider when it comes to joint replacement.
You’ve been struggling with achy and stiff knees for some time now, and you’ve tried a wide range of conservative treatments. At first, the joint injections, physical therapy, and other interventions that we provided worked well. Over time, however, the damage in your knee has overcome these conservative treatments, and they’re no longer able to reduce the pain and improve your mobility like they once did.
When conservative treatments fail to provide you with relief, this may be a clear sign that knee replacement is the best path forward.
It used to be that your knee pain only cropped up after activity, but now the pain seems to be a constant companion. As well, perhaps the pain is keeping you up at night as your knee throbs.
If your knee pain is intensifying and over-the-counter medications aren’t able to help, this is a signal that your existing knee has become a liability.
If your knee is swollen more often than not, it’s a sign that the degenerative processes are overwhelming the ability of your joints to repair themselves. Instead, they’re “stuck” in a state of inflammation, which is your body’s way of protecting the joint.
If you’re unable to function around the house because of knee pain and stiffness or you’ve altered your life in meaningful ways (you take fewer stairs, for example), it may be time to consider replacement. Having bad knees can limit your life in meaningful ways, and through knee replacement, we can help you get back to functioning normally.
As we mentioned, knee pain can limit your world, causing you to disengage from activities you once loved. Leading an active lifestyle is very important for your overall health and wellness and knee pain shouldn’t stand in the way. If you’ve stopped walking with friends, participating in sports, playing with your kids or grandkids, or any other active pursuit because of knee pain, knee replacement surgery can help you get back to doing what you love.
Ultimately, the decision is yours to make when it comes to whether you undergo knee replacement surgery. For our part, we can assure you that this procedure has an excellent track record and we’ve helped scores of patients get back to living through knee replacement.
To learn more about knee replacement surgery, feel free to contact one of our offices in Arvada or Denver, Colorado, to learn more.
