Your Arthritis May Need Knee Replacement Surgery: Look For these Signs

When you have osteoarthritis in your knees, every move – including walking, going upstairs, or sitting down — can be painful. Treatments such as oral pain medications, injections, physical therapy, and supplements can help with mild-to-moderate pain, but sometimes these conservative therapies aren’t enough. You continue to experience compromised movement and intolerable pain that makes you miss out on daily activities and major events.

Surgery can bring relief, especially when these alternatives, non-invasive treatments fail. When you undergo knee replacement surgery, Dr. Boone removes the damaged cartilage and bone and replaces all or part of your joint with an artificial joint made of plastic or metal.

Surgery isn’t a simple process, however. Although knee replacement surgery has made great advancements, it’s still invasive and requires a long recovery. You want to be sure it’s the right way to relieve your pain. The following signs indicate that the operating room may be your only solution for osteoarthritis pain.

Daily pain

Knee replacement surgery may be indicated if you have pain that interferes with your life on a daily basis. This means you find simple activities like walking, shopping, and driving unbearable even though you’re doing all the right treatments, such as taking pain meds and modifying activity. Knee replacement surgery can make these activities comfortable again, allowing normalcy back into your life.

Never-ending pain

It’s one thing to experience knee pain when you’re playing sports, but it’s another when arthritis knee pain is constant. If you experience pain when you’re standing, sitting, or just lying down for sleep, it’s time to consider knee replacement surgery. You shouldn’t endure the pain that affects your everyday mobility. Knee replacement surgery can relieve this pain as well as associated stiffness and swelling.

Failed relief

We hope to delay surgery as long as possible by treating knee pain with less invasive treatments. Weight loss, cortisone injections, and hyaluronic acid shots can offer relief, but may not be enough for the long term. Pain medications help some people, but not everyone tolerates them. When conservative treatments are no longer effective in helping you regain mobility and feeling relief, knee replacement surgery maybe your best option.

Knee joint dysfunction

Arthritis can cause your knees to bow out or in. You may look like you have knock knees. The bowing contributes to compromised movement and can make it impossible to fully bend or straighten your knee joints.

This deformity is a sign that your arthritis has gotten to a point that requires joint replacement surgery. The surgery may be able to restore your range of motion, realign the joints, and help you move more naturally again.

If you have knee pain that’s seriously affecting your quality of life, Dr. Chris Boone can help. Committing to knee replacement surgery isn’t easy, but know that our team walks you through every step of the process, from preparation to rehabilitation. Call our office in Bellevue, Washington, or book a consult through this website.