1) What is Knee arthritis?
Due to wear and tear of the joint over the years one can develop knee osteoarthritis. Usually, it happens in elderly but it can also happen in younger people due to previous injury or infection to the joint.
2) What are the causes of knee pain in elderly?
Knee pain can be due to arthritis in the knee itself or it can be a referred pain from hip or spine. You need to be examined by the orthopaedic doctor to make sure whether your pain is actually from the knee or referred from somewhere else. It is crucial to make the correct diagnosis, otherwise, treatment may not be effective.
3) How to do X-rays of the knee?
X rays need to be done in a standing position to know the extent of cartilage loss and to see whether any deformity has developed due to knee arthritis.
4) What are the treatment options available?
Non-surgical treatment modalities are painkillers, weight reduction, activity modification, regular exercise, physiotherapy, glucosamine, braces, steroid injection and hyaluronidase injection.
Surgical treatment includes arthroscopic debridement, fibrin glue/ stem cell and finally Total knee replacement.
5) Is the knee replacement safe option?
Yes, Knee replacement is a safe option provided you have tried other treatments first and you are still in pain.
6) How effective is knee replacement to relieve pain?
The success of the total knee replacement depends on correct patient selection and surgical technique. Success rate ranges from 85% - 98%.
7) Is it advisable to delay knee replacement if it is still too painful after other treatments?
No, because knee will develop more deformity and it will be a difficult surgery if you develop more severe deformity. It will be difficult to control your pain and also to do your day to day activities.