What is knee prosthesis?
The knee prosthesis is the substitution of the knee joint, for one synthetic piece, through surgery. This substitution is carried out when the The patient's knee shows great wear.
It is an implant which enables recover joint mobility. This implant is placed in the damaged area, replacing the function of the knee joint, eliminating the pain that the patient may have.
The knee prosthesis is designed to mimic all the characteristics of a native knee, so the patient will be able to regain mobility, stability and will be able to support body weight on the joint without any problem, allowing you to carry out the activities of daily living.
Symptoms for which knee prostheses can be implanted
The symptoms that lead the patient to the implantation of a knee prosthesis are mainly two:
- Intense pain in the joint.
- Inability to move of the joint.
The wear and tear that occurs on the joint Over the years it can gradually cause pain in the knees, even leading to the inability to move the joint, which prevents you from carrying out activities of daily living normally.
Causes of implantation of a knee prosthesis
The main cause that leads the patient to have a knee prosthesis implanted is knee osteoarthritis.
Knee osteoarthritis is a disease that affects 1 in 5 Spaniards. It usually appears in people of advanced ages. This condition gradually causes deterioration of the joint.
There are also other factors that can cause damage to the joint, such as some knee fractures that have not been recovered correctly, or the bone tumors that appear in the bones of the joint.
How is the knee treated after a knee prosthesis?
Existing treatments
The implantation of knee prostheses are done through a surgery. This intervention usually lasts two hours.
Consists in remove damaged cartilage and bones of the joint and replace them with artificial parts. These pieces can be placed in different places on the knee, either on the lower end of the femur, the upper end of the tibia, or on the side behind the kneecap.
Depending on the type of injury in the joint, the prosthesis They can be of two types:
- Total or three-compartmental. In this case it replaces the entire joint for a prosthesis.
- Monocompartmental. This type of prosthesis is placed in cases where only one part of the joint is affected, replacing said part of the joint.
After the intervention, the patient must follow the recommendations very strictly of the traumatologist and physiotherapist to achieve a successful recovery.
For this the physiotherapist designed a series of exercises adapted to the patient, with the aim of increasing muscle strength, correct instability and joint deformity, and relieve the pain, so that the patient recover physical function as soon as possible.
Apart from these treatments, the patient can follow a series of recommendations how to carry a Comfortable shoes, avoid overloading the joint, do not carry out risky activities that may damage the operation, or place cold in the area after exercises of rehabilitation.
Benefits of our treatments
- Relieve joint pain
- Increase knee muscle strength
- Return to activities of daily living
- Considerably improve joint mobility.
English (UK) 
Español