Orthopedic diseases take the 3rd place among the most widespread disorders over the globe according to Bookimed, an independent platform for booking medical facilities and treatments all over the world.
Because of the fast-paced life, our extremities carry a significant part of the load, so our knee joints are the first to get out of the wrack. Arthritis, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis or some other orthopedic disorders affect our knees, damage the joint and cause severe pain which is hard to bare. In most cases, these conditions lead to a necessity of replacing the damaged joint with the artificial one — having the knee replacement surgery.
According to the National Joint Registry, over 90,000 of British people undergo knee replacement annually. 57% of them are women. Bookimed managers confirm that most of people, who need knee replacement surgery, are afraid of the pain and long-lasting recovery.
The knee replacement is the only option to get rid of the joint disease for good. As Bookimed managers report, over 70% of patients with orthopedic disorders request for the knee replacement every year. 20% of them are from the United Kingdom.
What do you need to know about knee replacement recovery?
The surgery is considered a non-dangerous one. However, the recovery time after the knee replacement is long enough. It mainly depends on the joint condition and surgical method. The recovery period after the total knee replacement takes more time than after the partial procedure because the larger part of the joint needs to be restored. 6 weeks is an average period for resuming normal leisure activity after the surgery.
New trends of rehabilitation after knee replacement
Medical tourism has been becoming very popular healthcare trend worldwide for the last years. Medical tourism means crossing the borders of the native country for private medical treatment in the foreign ones. A person books a medical center, schedules the date of the arrival, chooses a doctor according to the preferences and comes for medical procedures on the appointed date and time.
Brits also follow these trend. They look for lower prices, shorter waiting lists, and find a way out in the foreign countries. Over 200,000 patients from the United Kingdom travel overseas annually according to IMTJ (International Medical Tourism Journal) statistics. And this number continues to rise from year to year.
The knee replacement is included in the Top 3 most common procedures for medical tourism among British patients. Such a demand is explained by the endless queues for the surgery and high prices for the rehab after knee replacement in the UK.
Conforming to Bookimed statistics, people from the United Kingdom prefer the Czech Republic, Germany, Turkey, Poland, Spain, and Italy for knee replacement surgery and recovery after that.
Knee replacement rehabilitation in specialized medical centers
The knee replacement recovery takes 3-6 months. Within the first couple of days, a patient may feel some pain, but it goes away soon. Keeping orthopedists advice help to avoid enduring pain and start individual rehab program.
10 days after the surgery, a patient stays in a hospital. S/he receives antibacterial therapy, tries to do minimal physical exercises and walks with crutches. After the knee replacement recovery in a hospital, a patient is discharged and comes back home.
The knee replacement rehabilitation does not stop at these steps. An orthopedist develops an individual rehab program to implement at home. A patient should keep the program to speed up the knee replacement rehab and return to common activity.
An individual rehabilitation program usually includes:
- physical exercises
- massage
- analgesic medications intake (if necessary)
- vitamins and minerals intake.
The first part of the knee replacement rehab lasts 1-3 month. During this period a patient walks with crutches and walkers to avoid additional injuries and repeated operation as a result.
Then a patient starts to walk without any additional facilities. It is forbidden to go in for football, basketball, running or other heavy physical activities for your knees during the rehab period to avoid traumas and repeated operations.
Knee replacement recovery tips
You may reduce the knee replacement recovery time by following 7 simple tips:
- Walk to prevent the blood clots development.
- Take a warm bath to stimulate the flow of the blood to an injured area.
- Massage your knee lightly to make the muscles stronger and reduce heavy swelling.
- Have a rest to give your body the chance to restore itself.
- Keep a diet included vitamin A and C to encourage the healing process.
- Put the ice packs on the knee for 15-20 minutes to reduce pain and swelling.
- Do exercises to improve the knee functions.
Consult your orthopedist to receive recommendations for reducing your knee replacement rehabilitation period and choose the most suitable recovery program for you.
Important to know! It is difficult to choose the most effective supplements on your own. That’s why majority of patients from the UK decide to consult an orthopedist and follow the recommendations during the knee replacement surgery recovery time.