Knee Surgery
The knee is a crucial body part that drives and propels our motion and mobility. The following are some surgical procedures that can address and resolve knee-related issues:
ACL Reconstruction
The ACL or anterior cruciate ligament is found at the center of the knee; thus serving as the crucial central point for motion and activity in the human body. The ACL connects the tibia or shin to the femur or thigh bone. Any tear or injury inflicted on this ligament can impair the ability to walk, run, exercise, or complete pretty much any form of physical activity.
In the orthopedic procedure known as ACL Reconstruction, the tissue used to replace a damaged ACL will originate from the patient’s own body, or from a donor. The procedure generally kicks off with an arthroscopy, followed by the removal of the torn ligament. A new ligament will then be attached via screws or other devices before the repaired area is stitched and mended.
Knee and Ankle Ligament Reconstruction
The knee and ankle are vital components in one’s overall physical stability and ability to move. When a person finds it challenging to move about freely without pain or instability, then Knee and Ankle Ligament Reconstruction may be needed.
Your physician may consider one of the various forms of knee and ankle ligament reconstruction. The surgeon might stitch and repair the patient’s ligaments, the replacement of torn ligaments with tendons, with the stitching of other tissue over repaired ligaments to reinforce the repair. Often within a few months and with the aid of physical therapy, the patient is up and walking once again.
Meniscal Surgery
The meniscus is that cushiony piece of cartilage that serves as a virtual shock absorber for the knee; one that cushions and protects the knee, ensuring stability and fluidity of motion. As may be expected, this sensitive bodily region is easily injured, especially during contact sports; when a single twist of the knee can tear the meniscus–and all too often, this injury takes place in conjunction with others, such as an ACL injury.
A meniscus tear is characterized by pain, swelling, and trouble bending and straightening the leg. If surgery is needed due to the intensity in pain and the instability or locking up of the knee, then it is often a basic outpatient procedure that involves the repairing or removing of damaged edges–thus getting you back up on your feet in no time.
Fractured Knee
A fracture is defined, for all intents and purposes, as a broken bone. It can range in severity from a thin crack to a total break, and can run down the length of the bone or from left to right–or, for that matter, can afflict the bone in a number of locations. You can sustain fractures through falls, sports injuries, accidents, and other bodily traumas.
Fractures come in a number of varieties, including closed or simple (in which the bone does not break the skin) and open or compound (in which the broken bone actually tears the skin); and incomplete (in which the bone cracks but does not break) or complete (indicating a total break).
If surgery is required, which is often the case in compound or complex knee fractures, then the doctor may conduct open surgery to repair the afflicted bone.
Arthritis Diagnosis and Treatment
Characterized by chronic joint inflammation, arthritis of the knee afflicts the patient with a level of pain, stiffness and general discomfort that can impede and disrupt daily activities.
Osteoarthritis, which afflicts more than 3 million people in the United States every year, stems from the degeneration of joint cartilages; that customary wear and tear that often affects aging bodies. Yet the arthritis patient does not have to live with the suffering; they can seek relief from a number of treatment and surgical options aimed toward easing and alleviating the effects of osteoarthritis.
If treatments and pain medications prove unsuccessful, possible surgical remedies might include joint replacement by way of arthroplasty, joint fusion, or the addition or removal of pieces of bone around the knee joint, to achieve enhanced joint stability above or below the knee joint to balance the weight better across the joint.
Joint Replacement
Our joints are those essential body parts that connect two or more bones together within the structure of our anatomical frames. And when something happens to injure, hinder or any way impair one of these essential connectors, a great deal of pain, instability, and lack of mobility can ensue.
In general, joint conditions can be treated via a regimen of rest, medication, modified activity, and perhaps physical therapy. Yet if this proves insufficient to remedy any degree of joint pain and instability, then surgery is also a viable option.
Through the innovative and holistic procedure known as joint replacement, the damaged, injured or arthritic portions of a joint (cartilage, bone, etc.) are removed and replaced with a plastic, metal or ceramic joint replication known as a prosthesis. Designed to function like a customary, fully functioning joint, the prosthesis both replaces and replicates the injured or impaired knee. And while the replacement joint may be artificial, the intense relief and enhanced mobility that many patients experience is very real.