Painful joints, which are also badly moving, often become an obstacle to a full life. The most effective, and sometimes the only way to restore the function of the limbs is endoprosthetics - joint replacement. One of the most common operations in orthopedics is knee arthroplasty. Modern medicine allows for total knee arthroplasty, which involves the replacement of all articular components with biocompatible structures (endoprosthesis) in order to relieve the patient of pain and return the knee to normal functioning.
Indications and contraindications to knee arthroplasty
Endoprosthetics of the knee joint is carried out for a number of indications, including:
- arthrosis of the knee ;
- arthritis;
- abnormal structure of the knee joint (dysplastic arthrosis);
- posttraumatic arthrosis;
- osteonecrosis (necrosis of bone tissue).
In some cases, endoprosthetics is contraindicated. It is forbidden to perform a surgical procedure with:
- infectious process in the joint;
- disorders of blood clotting ;
- cardiovascular diseases of the legs;
- presence of general surgical contraindications (sinusitis, caries, etc.).
It is undesirable to undergo endoprosthetics for obesity of grade III and oncological diseases.
Rehabilitation after knee arthroplasty
Endoprosthetics is an operation accompanied by blood loss. In some cases, both during surgery and during the postoperative period, blood transfusion is required.
In addition, the following complications are noted after knee arthroplasty:
- infection of tissues in the operated area;
- thromboembolism (blockage of blood vessels).
In this regard, in the postoperative period, the patient is administered antibiotics and pain medications. Symptomatic therapy is also performed when in hospital. After 10 to 12 days, the patient is usually discharged. At home, the surgeon's recommendations should be strictly followed.
Recovery after knee replacement takes about 3 months. All rehabilitation activities are under the supervision of a doctor. If possible, it is advisable to undergo a recovery course in a specialized center within a few weeks. LFK after endoprosthesis of the knee joint under the guidance of a specialist trainer helps:
- increase in the volume of movements;
- increase of leg muscular strength;
- addiction to the prosthesis and, ultimately, a smooth return to the previous level of activity.
Exercises after endoprosthetics of the knee should be carried out independently at home. The health complex necessarily includes such exercises:
- Flexion of the knee in the supine and standing position.
- Bend knee with weighting agents from 300 to 600 g;
- Walking, starting from 5 - 10 minutes three times a day, extending gradually to half an hour 2 - 3 times a day;
- Classes on a stationary bike or short-term trips on a bicycle.
Also, experts recommend not to refuse to do homework, although you should somewhat reduce the usual load. The doctor, observing the changes in the patient's condition, will indicate the time when it is possible to refuse crutches. Then it will be possible to increase the physical load without giving up climbing stairs, driving a vehicle, etc. In most cases, swimming, dancing and some sports are not forbidden. But sports, associated with a significant load on the joints (jumping, lifting weights, tennis and a number of other sports activities), it is better to avoid.