The largest joint in your body is the knee which supports most of the bodies weight. As a complex joint that can sustain many injuries including trauma, misalignment and degenerative conditions like arthritis.

The more serious injuries require surgery however a majority of minor knee pain can be treated at home with the use of rest and ice packs. You will have seen many athletes with knee injuries using the R.I.C.E, method which stands for “rest, ice, compression and elevation. Stay off the knee and only walk with crutches, apply the ice to control swelling and use a compression elastic bandage but loose enough so that it does not cause pain and finally keep the knee elevated.

You must seek professional advise immediately or as soon as possible, especially if you experience the following:

Hear a popping noise and feel your knee give out at the time of the injury, cannot move the knee, have swelling at the injury site, begin limping or have severe pain.

There may come a time when knee replacement surgery is your only option especially if your in a job that places severe strain on your knees like a carpet fitter or you may be very active in sports. Knee replacement surgery involves replacing the weight-bearing surface of the knee joint in order to relieve pain and disability. There are two forms of knee replacement surgery with either full knee replacement or partial knee replacement surgery. In general the diseased or damaged joint surfaces of the knee will be replaced with metal and plastic components that are shaped to allow the knee to move without restriction.

After your knee replacement surgery there will be a considerable amount of pain through the vigorous rehabilitation routines necessary to regain both strength and function in the knee. It can take up to 6 weeks before you are able to walk with the aid of a stick and up to 3 months for total recovery back to normal mobility.

Although complications in knee surgery are very low, infection of the joint is the most serious of complication which occurs in less than 1% of patients. Other potential problems are nerve injuries, deep vein thrombosis and persistant pain or stiffness.

If you believe that you may need Knee Surgery or would like to learn more, visit our website and read or watch a video showing the different types of knee replacement surgery availableto you.

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