A total knee replacement (TKR or Total Knee Arthroplasty) is a medical procedure to reduce knee pain and improve activity levels. It is most commonly used for individuals with osteoarthritis when other treatment options have not been successful. These surgeries are among the most common inpatient surgeries performed in Malaysia, and the frequency of these surgeries is expected to increase shortly.
Types of Knee replacement surgeries
There are two types of knee replacement surgeries:
Total Knee Replacement involves the replacement of both sides of the knee joint, while Partial Knee Replacement involves the replacement of only one side of the knee joint.
What does the surgery involve?
Your knee joint is composed of three bones: the tibia (shin bone), the femur (thigh bone), and the patella (kneecap).
During a total knee replacement, parts of the bones in your knee joint are replaced with artificial parts called implants. Your surgeon will resurface the ends of these bones where they meet at the knee joint. Depending on your knee and medical history, this may involve only the thigh and shin bones or the bottom of your kneecap.
Recovery from a Total Knee Replacement
After surgery, your path to recovery begins! Rehabilitation for a Total Knee Replacement usually starts on the day of surgery to manage the range of motion in your knee.
Please learn more about the importance of range of motion after knee replacement.
You may be able to go home on the day of your surgery, or you may need to stay in the hospital for a few days. Initially, tasks such as getting out of bed, standing up from a chair, walking, and climbing stairs may be challenging and cause discomfort. However, as you heal, these activities will become easier as you regain strength and experience reduced pain.
Remember the following information: Recovering from a total knee replacement requires a plan to reduce swelling, relieve pain, regain strength, improve knee movement, and return to the previous level of function. Your healthcare team or physical therapist will provide you with exercises at home to help with these aspects.
The potential of post-surgery Knee replacement rehabilitation is essential for developing personalised, effective advanced ROBOTIC rehabilitation programmes for patients undergoing knee replacement surgery. This can optimise patients’ care and outcomes by focusing on engagement, safety, clinical effectiveness, and satisfaction with personalised and adaptive therapies, monitoring, and pain management after knee replacement arthroplasty.
Doctors will create a personalised recovery plan for Total Knee Replacement. This plan will assist you in staying on course with your recovery through video-guided exercises, reminders, and the capability to measure the bending and straightening of your knee (known as range of motion). As you regain movement and strength in your knee, the exercises will progressively become more challenging, aiding in your gradual recovery.
