Knee arthroscopy helps repair, restore, and relieve severely diseased knee joints. Your knees carry the brunt of the body’s weight, and due to ageing or osteoarthritis, these joints may become eroded and inflamed, leading to severe pain and limitation of movement. It makes activities like climbing stairs, walking, and getting in and out of chairs difficult.

Total knee replacement aims to use artificial materials to repair and create a new knee joint, giving the knees the ability to roll and glide effortlessly again. Deciding whether to have the surgery is stressful. Knowing the right questions to ask doctors before the surgery makes a choice easier.

What type of surgery is right?

The type of surgery recommended by the surgeon depends on many factors, including the extent of arthritic damage to the knee, age, and general physical condition. Potential surgical options include partial knee replacement, arthroscopy, osteotomy surgery, and cartilage repair and restoration. Total replacement surgery has a high success rate.

What is the typical outcome?

It is crucial to have accurate expectations about what a knee surgery can accomplish. Is it likely for your pain to vanish? Will you regain full or partial function of your knee? Will you be able to return to specific activities and sports?

What are the possible complications?

Most complication rates for total knee replacement surgery are low, but there are chances of occurrence. These include blood clots, infection, or damage to the knee or surrounding tissue. Find out the complication rates from your surgeon and the healthcare facility. Generally, the more experience your surgeon has with that particular procedure, the better the odds for a good outcome.

Remember that health care facilities dealing with high volume joint replacement procedures tend to have better outcomes than others.

How to increase the success rate of the surgery?

There are many things you can do before the surgery to increase the chances of a good outcome. For example, the surgeon may ask you to exercise to strengthen the knee and surrounding muscles, lose excess weight, or quit smoking.

How to combat pain after surgery?

Knowing how much pain is normal helps ease your anxiety during the first few days after the surgery. Your surgical team explains what medications to take to control pain and swelling, the recommendations, and how long you need to take them. These depend on your surgery and unique health circumstances.

How long is the recovery?

Recovery timelines vary significantly. For example, a person with arthroscopic knee surgery gets fully healed at six to eight weeks. A person with total knee replacement can expect to be back to their daily routine within the same period, but full recovery takes longer.

When recovering, find out if you need an assistive walking device after surgery, such as a walker or crutches, and for how long. Also, ask the concerned surgeon if you require assistance at home from a spouse, family member, friend, or personal aide.