Most patients are suffer for years with knee pain before even consulting a doctor. Decision for Knee Replacement for those who need it, comes still later. So, they waste a lot of years compromising on average daily activities and curtailing on their active lifestyle. In this article, Dr Firoz Ahmed explains “Is my knee bad enough for replacement?”
Lets get to the basic truth first.
The majority of Knee pain patients can and should be treated without surgery.
However, there exists a small set of people who will not get better with conservative methods and they will require Knee Replacement. Let us discuss which are the warning signs that can help us identify those patients earlier so they can take a better and informed decision.
Look out for
The 7 Warning Signs
1. Your Knee Pain is Affecting Daily Life And Activities
You have been having knee pain for quite sometime but accepted that as normal aging and pushed through your activities. However, nowadays your day to day activities are also being hampered. Getting down from bed, walking around the house – they also feel like big tasks. You are avoiding stairs, stopped visiting the market or relatives. Going to temple or namghar or mosque feels like a herculean task. When your daily life is thus compromised, its a warning sign by your body that its not a minor problem anymore.
2. Medicines and Exercises Don't Seem To Help Anymore
Medicines, exercises, physiotherapy, braces, knee caps – you have tried them all. And till recently, your knee pain was under control.
However, nowadays nothing seems to work. Your pain is constant or increasing. Activities which you could do earlier, now seem like a chore.
3. Pain That Keeps You Awake At Night
Knee pain during the day can be managed by activity and lifestyle modification. However, if your knee pain wakes you up from sleep, then it’s a major sign. Night pain even during rest, suggests that the knees are considerably more damaged and inflamed.
4. Your Knee Looks Bent or Deformed
When you look down on your knees, they don’t seem straight – either they are bowed outwards or the knees touch together.
Such deformity means that the knee cartilage is damaged unevenly and in a big way. Delaying surgery can worsen the situation and can make further surgery complicated.
5. Your Walk Becomes Unstable
Apart from pain, nowadays you may be experiencing loss of balance while walking. You feel like you may suddenly fall down, specially on uneven surfaces.
This shows that the ligaments or meniscus inside your knee may be completely damaged and the knee is no longer functional.
6. You Cannot Bend or Straighten Your Knee
You cannot fully bend or straighten your knee. It may mean that ther is some “contracture” or tighness in the knee. This is not normal aging, rather a sign of advanced disease. Delaying the surgery can complicate matters further.
7. Your XRay Shows "Bone-on-Bone" Arthritis
Your XRay shows “Bone -on-Bone” arthritis. It means that there is no cartilage left in the joint. Further there may infact be bone loss too. This is a serious situation, and no form of treatment can repair your cartilage.
Walk Pain -Free Again
Consult with a Dr Firoz Ahmed, a leading Knee specialist in Guwahati
Dr Firoz Ahmed
Joint Replacement, Sports Injury Specialist and Joint Preservation Surgeon
OPD: Mon–Sat | 9 AM – 4 PM
Location: ARHI Hospital, Jorabat (near Guwahati, Khanapara)
Wish to know more about Knee Replacement?
Contact us now!
