Knee replacement surgery is a medical treatment where damaged parts of one’s knees are replaced by artificial implants. The requirement decision for a knee surgery can be cooperatively taken by you and your orthopedic surgeon after complete examination. Consider the following before deciding to for a knee replacement surgery (KRS):
Is Arthritis Curable?
Yes and No. It completely depends on the type of arthritis being considered. Most common type of arthritis, that is associated with aging, called osteoarthritis, is not curable but very controllable. In the majority of cases, it is treated with simple physiotherapy and sometimes with medication for cartilage repair. If the disease is uncontrollable, joint replacement may be required.
Other type of arthritis is inflammatory arthritis, commonly called rheumatoid arthritis. In relation to its diagnosis, Dr. Yash Gulati, Sr. Consultant Joint Replacement & Spine Surgeon, says, “If this (rheumatoid arthritis) is diagnosed early and proper treatment with disease-modifying drugs is begun, it may be possible to cure it back at a later stage.” In advanced cases, joint replacement may become necessary.
Osteoarthritis And It’s Deformities
Osteoarthritis is a form of arthritis which appears due to breakdown and eventual loss of the cartilage of one or more joints. This commonly damages joints like hips, knees, spine and hands with varied deformities. Suffering from knee joint deformities, that is of Varus deformity (inward angulation of the joint) or Valgus deformity (outward angulation of the joint), patients have difficulty or pain in walking and a noticeable limp. In hip joints, called flexion deformity, where the leg may be fixed turned upwards or inwards either externally or internally, patient limp while walking.
Curability of Torn Ligament
Torn ligaments can be cured depending upon which ligament is torn. Sometimes the ligaments are repaired end to end. But in circumstances like tearing of the anterior cruciate ligament or posterior cruciate ligament, this may not be possible. As Anterior cruciate ligament often tears after a significant injury and is very painful with swelling in the knee joint and eventually leads to instability of the knee.
Dr. Yash Gulati, Padma Shri & National Award recipient, says, “In these circumstances, reconstruction is possible by Arthroscopic keyhole technology with excellent results.”
Success Rate Of Knee Replacement Surgery
Total knee replacement success rate in India is more than 98%. Now that gyroscope based computer navigation for knee replacement is being used, the success rate has gone higher and more predictable. Dr Yash Gulati has performed the largest number of knee replacement surgeries with I assist gyroscope based computer navigation and produced excellent results.
What is I Assist Gyroscope Based Navigation For Knee Replacement?
This has been hugely popularized in India by Dr Yash Gulati, Apollo Hospital, New Delhi. It involves the use of gyroscope and accelerometer which are also used in aviation technology and smartphone technology. They are used to determine the exact angle at which the replaced knee implants should be placed.
This makes the surgery less invasive, highly predictable and reduces the chances of complications. The knee implants are likely to last much longer than with conventional surgery, making this a huge success.
