Total Knee Replacement – A New Opportunity To Move Without Pain

Total knee replacement is a surgical procedure that allows substituting the severely damaged knee joint with the high-technology artificial one. The multicenter study of people’s satisfaction with the outcomes of total knee arthroplasty has showed that up to 85% of patients are totally satisfied with the procedure results.

Total knee replacement is a surgical procedure that allows substituting the severely damaged knee joint with the high-technology artificial one. The multicenter study of people’s satisfaction with the outcomes of total knee arthroplasty has showed that up to 85% of patients are totally satisfied with the procedure results. Being performed in the specialized orthopedic centers, total knee replacement becomes a minimally invasive procedure with low surgical risks. After the proper rehabilitation program, a patient does not have any restrictions in performing usual activities.

When your doctor may offer you the total knee replacement

Total knee arthroplasty, or total knee replacement, is typically performed as the last-line therapy. First, doctors try to restore function of the damaged joint by the conservative and sparing techniques. In case medications and physical therapy can not relieve pain, substitution of the joint with an artificial prosthesis is considered.

Total knee replacement may be performed in the following pathologies:

• osteoarthritis of the knee (stage IV or stage III with severe disability);
• inborn joint deformity (e.g. dysplasia combined with knee arthritis);
• severe traumatic damage;
• inflectional knee joint affection;
• autoimmune destruction of the knee joint components (e.g. rheumatoid arthritis).

After the successful therapy, knee restores its natural form and the whole volume of movements. The pain syndrome is absent or significantly alleviated.

How The Total Knee Replacement Is Performed

The preoperative preparation includes a number of diagnostic procedures. These are physical examination, blood tests, X-ray imaging and MRI/CT scan. In case the obtained results confirm necessity of the knee arthroplasty, 3D model of the knee prosthesis is created.

The procedure is painless, as it is carried out under the general or epidural anesthetic. After making few skin incisions, a surgeon moves aside the knee cap and surrounding muscles (it is important to spare them for the proper prosthesis functioning). Reaching the damaged knee, doctor carefully removes destroyed parts of the thigh bone and shin bone. Joint surfaces of the bones are processed and adjusted to the prosthesis implantation.

Artificial joint is fixed with the help of bone “cement”. Other option is the cementless method, when a patient’s bone progressively grows inside the prosthesis and fixes it. This technique requires more time.

Once the implantation is successfully completed, a surgeon repairs deep tissues and skin with precise stitches. The patient is moved from the operating room to the recovery room. After the surgical anesthesia wearing off, he is examined by a physical therapist. In absence of complications, patient may leave the hospital the same day and start rehabilitation program at home or in the specialized healthcare institution.

Best Orthopedic Hospitals And Arrangement Of Treatment

According to the international statistics, the best outcomes of total knee replacement are provided by the European orthopedic centers. Germany traditionally ranks the leading position in this list, including the outstanding scientific and clinical achievements of:

1. Charite University Hospital Berlin.
2. Academic Hospital DRK Berlin Westend.
3. University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden.
4. University Hospital Rechts der Isar Munich.
5. Orthopedic Center Munich East Munich.

When planning total knee replacement in the foreign hospitals in advance, it is better to use services of Booking Health. Booking Health is the certified medical tourism operator (certificate ISO 9001:2015) that considers peculiarities of providing help to patients from 75 countries.

Specialists from Booking Health will assist you in:

• Selecting the right clinic and doctor.
• Preparing of the preliminary medical program, excluding the unnecessary examinations.
• Avoiding overpricing and additional fees (saving up to 50%).
• Booking the appointment date, avoiding long waiting lists.
• Help in buying and forwarding of medicines, if necessary.
• Keeping in touch with the doctor after treatment completion for the assessment of control examinations, etc.
• Full financial control, return of unspent funds.
• Organization of additional examinations, if necessary.
• Booking hotels and plane tickets, transfer organization.

After receiving your request via the Booking Health portal, a competent medical advisor will contact you the same day to guide through further steps.