CHICAGO, Ill. – The knee is the most commonly injured joint, especially among athletes, with over two injuries per every 1,000 people in the U.S., according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System.
From sports to tripping or just aging, knee injuries are quite common. Total knee replacement surgery has become a common procedure, offering relief from chronic knee pain and restoring mobility.
There are about 790,000 total knee replacement procedures performed in the United States every year. Doctors at Midwest Orthopaedics have developed a minimally-invasive total knee replacement procedure to get patients up and running sooner rather than later.
“We’re doing a much better job with the surgery. If you had a knee replacement, for example, used to be out for months and months and months – you come to see me, you’ll be out of the hospital in three hours,” said Dr. Richard Berger at Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush. “You’ll be back driving and back to work, if you wanna be, in a week.”
Total knee replacement surgery, also known as total knee arthroplasty, or TKA, is a surgical procedure that replaces the damaged or worn surfaces of the knee joint with artificial components, typically made of metal and plastic.
The surgery Berger performed is done through a 3- to 4-inch incision instead of a large 8- to 12-inch incision. Ninety-two percent of patients leave the hospital the same day.
“Whether or not it’s to run a marathon or take a walk around the block or just go up and down and doing the laundry in the evening, patients wanna do what they wanna do, and I’m providing them that mobility,” Berger said.
In addition to a faster recovery and shorter hospital stay, TKA also increases range of motion sooner after surgery and there is less blood loss.
Despite the numerous benefits of total knee replacement surgery, it’s essential to recognize that it’s not suitable for everyone. People who smoke, are obese or have had any form of severe nerve disease are not good candidates for TKA.