Recognition of Total Knee Replacement

The proportion of people suffering from knee joint degeneration in Hong Kong is increasing in recent years. Early knee degeneration can be treated with drugs, physiotherapy, etc., and only severe knee degeneration requires surgery, commonly known as “changing” with the official name “total knee replacement surgery”. The public has a lot of misunderstandings about the operation of sputum replacement, and here are some tips.

1. Does the artificial joint last only for ten years?

This is indeed a very outdated statement. Today’s artificial joints have long lives. Generally, over 90% of patients use their joints for twenty years or more.

2. I am too young, and what should I do when doctors only suggest me to change after I am 60?

Knee degeneration has a tendency to rejuvenate, and many patients who have had severe knee degeneration in their fifties need surgery. With today’s advanced technology, even if “change” in the 50s, over 90% of the artificial joints can last for twenty years or more.

3. How long does it take to bed-rest and to recover from the change?

Patients can normally get out of bed one to two days after the operation, and are usually required to stay in hospital for about one week, in addition to one to two months of physiotherapy.