TKR is also known as knee arthroplasty. It is known as a surgical procedure to replace the weight hamming surfaces of the knee joints. It is carried out to relieve pain and disability. The process is most likely to perform on osteoarthritis and also for other knee-related diseases. This is a proven method for your knee problems. Upon the surgeon’s suggestion, you can opt for the surgery.
This article includes the step by step procedure of total knee replacement.
TKR (Total Knee Replacement)
Total knee replacement is a very complicated process that requires an expert orthopedic surgeon to perform accurate measurements and remove the affected portion of your bone. This is done to the remaining bone portion to accommodate the implant.
In this total process, the doctor creates an artificial knee in the leg, which is realistic and reliable. This creates a normal movement for your leg without any obstructions.
1. Making the knee pierce
In this first step, the surgeon makes a notch to access the patella(knee cap). The cut is generally 8-10 cm long. In some of the minor surgeries, the cut is for 4-6 cm long. Still, some cons are there regarding the cut length. But after the initial scans, doctors prefer the right range for your surgery.
2. Rotating the Kneecap
The first visible portion is your kneecap. The surgeons open the knee and rotate the patella(kneecap) to have a clear view. A clear picture is a must because an affected view can unsuccessful in any surgery. This rotation allows doctors to perform the replacement procedure with a sound effect.
3. Preparing the Femur
The first thing that the doctors do is to resurface the thing bone, also called as FemurFemur. Upon opening the knee joint, the doctors measure the length and make accurate cuts using special instruments. In this process, the damaged part is cut down. Then the end of the thighbone is crafted and resurfaced to fit the bone.
4. Implantation of metal and femoral components
In this process, the surgeon implants the femoral i.e., upper knee component to your FemurFemur and seals with the bone cement. On the existing bone, they embed the femoral. This is carried out to give the bone a good strength. This implantation will help the knee to roll out neatly.
5. Preparing the Shinbone
After the previous process, the next portion the surgeon resurfaces is your shinbone. They remove the damaged part and reshapes the bone to fit the existing bone. This includes metal and plastic components. This preparation is necessary as it allows the surgeon to remove the damaged portion and make specific changes.
6. Implanting the components on the tibia (shinbone)
The tibia tray is the place where surgeons insert the polyethylene material. Polyethylene is a medical grade plastic used for specific purposes. The tibial tray and the materials are sealed with the help of the bone cement. This process gives your flexible movements of the knee. Note one thing that all inserted components are removed after some specific period as guided by the surgeon. All these external components will not harm your body. So you can stay confident as well as flexible.
7. Re-adjusting the kneecap
After all these above procedures, the knee cap is resurfaced with specific materials to make it fit in the thigh area. The surgeons will reshape and adjust the knee cap to make the movement manageable. This step is vital in giving the easy moton to the knee cap after surgery.
8. Giving a final touch
After all the procedures mentioned above are done, the surgeons will look for the comfort and flexibility of the knee movement to ensure the surgery is successful. After that, the doctors stitch back the notch portion and give proper dressing to it. They use CPM(continuous passive motion) machines to give your leg a normal movement without any hassle.
In the above outline, I have explained in detail the total knee replacement. Through this article, you can know how things work and how this procedure is carried out. It is a very safe process and does not have any disadvantages.
