Knee Replacement Surgery

At a certain age, one is often left wondering “Why do I have knee pain?”.  If you are one of those with the condition, relax and know that you can feel better. 

As people age, they begin to develop pain in their joints, especially in their knees. This means, one can get osteoarthritis as bones and joints change with age. Conditions can be harder to control because bones become weaker with age. Although more common amongst the elderly, anyone can have some symptoms. It could be from arthritis, osteoarthritis or inflammation from a previous knee injury. 

The following are symptoms of osteoarthritis of which everyone should be aware:

• Feeling pain in the knees 
• Starting to feel fatigue, tight calves or foldable knee joints 
• The skin around your knee joints feels warmer or hotter than usual
• Symptoms of abrasion and friction around the knees 
• Inability to stretch or bend your knees fully
• Swollen knees, legs bowed inwards or legs bowed outwards
• Bones that seem to grow outwards along the edges of the knees

All of these symptoms are signs that you may have osteoarthritis. If you experience these symptoms, it is highly recommended that you see a doctor immediately so that the doctor may perform an x-ray of the knees and treat the symptoms as soon as possible. If osteoarthritis is allowed to develop, the condition will become chronic, and will significantly impact the quality of your daily life. Surgery is not always necessary for treatment; treatment will depend on the severity of the symptoms and on the doctor’s diagnosis.

For some, the condition can be so painful,  something needs to be done. In such cases, if non-surgical treatments do not help, regardless of the cause, the doctor may recommend knee replacement surgery.  However, sweat not. There is little need for concern. Knee replacement surgery is not frightening at all once you understand how it is performed today. In fact, thanks to medical advancements knee replacement is minimally invasive. It can help relieve the pain you are experiencing. This means you will be able to walk and return to your normal activities again. Thus, if your doctor recommends the surgery, consider it. 

A knee replacement surgery may sound alarming at first.  There’s already a fear of surgery in general due to the pain and long recovery associated with it. Well, worry no more. Today, surgeons are able to perform the minimally invasive surgery which is a  total knee arthroplasty (MIS-TKA). This type of surgery is safer, simpler, more convenient and less painful. Moreover, it allows for a faster recovery with excellent treatment results. Hence, it has become the standard approach used by most surgeons for performing a knee replacement. 

Doctor performs a general examination that includes asking the patient about the symptoms.  They, then, check the degree of swelling and see whether or not the knee is crooked or bent outwards. After that, they see how the knee can be straightened, assessing the x-ray results. When osteoarthritis is confirmed and if knee replacement is required, surgery is recommended.  

This type of knee replacement surgery uses smaller incisions with less cutting of the tissue surrounding the knee. Once the opening is made, the surgeon uses high flexion TKA to replace the knee joint. This technique involves less blood loss and pain, and has a shorter recovery period. Patients typically need to stay in the hospital for no more than three days. Most importantly, patients are able to walk within 24 hours post-surgery. 

The Sports and Orthopedic Center also reaches out to anyone suffering from orthopedic injuries, or from acute or chronic damage to bones and joints. Our center brings together a highly accomplished team of 38 orthopedic surgeons, physical therapists and sports injury and physical rehabilitation experts. We pair these experienced experts with the latest orthopedic and physical rehabilitation equipment, ensuring all patients receive the best possible care.

Samitivej has a team ready to help and provide services for: 

• Treatment Plan Consultation with a doctor via online video-call (second opinion)
• Treatment Planning if you have medical records or a price estimate from another hospital 
• Cost Planning by our Appraisals Team with price guarantee (only for procedure packages without complications)
• Check Initial Coverage Eligibility with Thai and international insurance companies (only for insurance companies in contract with the Hospital)