How Long Does a Knee Replacement Last? - Basic Facts Regarding Surgery and Recovery

How long will my total knee replacement surgery last? How long will my recovery take? How long does a knee replacement last? Will I experience a lot of pain after surgery? These are all part of the litany of questions patients have for their doctors when the subject of total knee replacement surgery comes up. Patients definitely have a right to feel concerned and have a right to know exactly what to expect from this major surgery. And, doctors will do their very best to make the surgery a positive experience and outcome for the patient. Most have no problem answering all of a patient's questions more than once.

Total knee reconstruction surgery comes about after all the various methods normally used to treat a degenerating knee are failing. Usually the decision to go forward is made only after x-shows show severe damage and pain, upon physical exam, is confirmed by the patient in that same area. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicines will also be used until they no longer are able to ease the discomfort felt by the patient. Sometimes, braces are also used, as well as the relatively new approach of using Viscosupplementation which is the injection of hyaluronic acid into the patient's knee. When all of these fail, surgery is recommended and doctors can then discuss topics like how long a knee replacement will last, with the patient.

Typically, the highest number of studies taken on knee reconstruction patients show that the typical replacement knee will last anywhere from12 to 15 years. After this time, the hardware in the knee may begin to loosen, causing pain and initiating the need for a second surgery to revise the hardware components. A person is only allowed two surgeries per knee in their lifetime. This is one of the reasons most surgeons will wait until a patient is 60 or older to recommend surgery, unless a case is extreme. However, the replacement knee has been known to last up to 20 years or as little as a single year when it has been overused.

Knowing how long a knee replacement lasts is mostly a gamble of taking care not to damage the knee by behaving inappropriately. Doctors recommend that knee replacement patients do not take part in sports activities that place a lot of heavy stress on the knee, such as jogging. However, bicycling and swimming are both said to be great for patients with artificial knees. The knee will require motion to keep the hardware supple, so it sometimes can be a catch-22 situation. Work the knee, but don't overwork the knee. Following simple precautions should guarantee many years of use.