What to Pay Attention to Before Knee and Hip Replacement Surgery?

18.12.2018 09:19:41

220,000 hip replacement surgeries, as well as almost 170,000 knee replacement surgeries were performed in Germany in 2016.

When is hip or knee replacement surgery really necessary?

My first boss used to say the following phrase, “The moment a prosthesis is implanted, a new disease occurs.” The service life of a knee or hip joint endoprosthesis is 10 years or more. I have already seen a prosthesis that is 20 years old. The younger the patient, the higher the mobility, and the higher the wear, and because of this, the prosthesis serves less time.

Hip and knee prostheses are a blessing for patients with severe arthrosis.

Should I ask for a second opinion before surgery?

It is necessary to ask a second opinion. When you buy a car, you find out all the available information about it. In the case of surgery, what is at issue is our own body.

How big is the risk?

If you get a prosthesis at the age of 70, the risk that the joint will have to be replaced again is 4-6%. When you undergo the operation at 60, the risk doubles to 15%. The highest risks are in men under the age of 55 years old. In this case, the probability of subsequent replacement is 35%.

At what age does it make sense to have hip and knee prostheses implanted?

If you look at the frequency of the surgical procedures, it becomes clear that the surgery should be performed starting only at the age of 70. At the age of 60-70, it is already possible to perform the surgery. In patients younger than 60 years old, it is necessary to double-check everything and think it over again. In any case, the relevant changes should be visible on X-ray images. But this is not enough for the surgery. In addition, the patient must have pain. Restrictions in everyday life should also be easily noticeable. It is very important to lose weight before surgery if the patient is overweight. And in patients with diabetes, the glucose level should be below 7. Otherwise, there are increased surgical risks and risks of infectious diseases.

What can be done by patients themselves to prevent the surgery?

It is necessary to monitor your body weight. Every 5 kg lost is some ease for the knee and hip joints. During lifetime you cannot avoid osteoarthritis. If arthrosis is already present, the disease is irreversible. It will overtake everyone, the only question is when.