Is Total Knee Replacement and Rheumatoid Arthritis Associated?

Knee replacement in Rheumatoid Arthritis is a well-grounded measure that needs to be taken care of according to the doctor’s suggestion. However, both of these medical situations are individually important while being handled. So, knee joint replacement is not always prescribed for Rheumatoid Arthritis and vice versa. 

But for now, let us find out more about knee replacement.

 

What Is Knee Replacement?

When the knee shows abrasion, knee replacement is the treatment typically followed. The operation undertaken is taken care of to reduce the pain, ensuring proper maneuvering of the joint. The surgeon replaces the damaged bone and cartilage with metal and plastic.

 

Some legit factors decide whether the patient is physically suitable for the operation procedure or not. Here the surgeon verifies the range of motion, strength, and stability of the knee. An X- Report gives a clear picture of the medical condition of the knee. However, some more factors, such as-   

• Age
• Health condition
• Knee size and shape 
• Activity level
• Weight of the patient

 

It helps a lot with the surgery procedure.

 

What Are The Risk Involved With Knee Replacing Surgery?

There are some genuine risk engagement with knee replacement, and these are-

• Infection- A chance of getting an infection at the surgery site(both at a superficial and deeper level) is possible. In fact, undertaking surgery to cure the infection is also probable.  
• Nerve Damage- After knee replacing surgery, the nerve around that particular region can receive unprecedented injury leading to numbness, pain, and weakness.
• Blood Clots- In a knee replacement, the surgeon takes care of thinning the blood to intercept blood clotting, which occurs dominantly in the legs. However, if the situation goes up to the lungs, it might turn life-threatening.

 

What Are the Most Common Causes of Knee Replacing Surgery?

The medical practitioner recommends knee replacement because –

• If the patient is suffering excruciating pain around their joint in the knee primarily because of Rheumatoid Arthritis.
• If the patient is suffering from taking stairs, getting out of the chair, or generally walking.

 

The surgeons can take care of the damaged knee with the required part. Now, if there is a necessity to replace the whole, the thigh and shin bones are reshaped, resurfacing the joint. The Leg bones are typically rigid tubes that have soft centers. In knee replacing surgery, the artificial parts are pushed inside the softer central parts of these bones. Ligaments are thick strings of tissue that join and keep the joints together. A weak ligament around the knee necessitates implants to ensure proper connection of the bones, keeping them intact.

Is A Robotic Knee Replacement An Option?

A traditional knee replacement and a robotic knee replacement are similar. Your surgeon replaces the damaged knee tissue with an artificial joint after removing the damaged tissue. The only distinction in this surgery is that a robotic arm or other handheld robotic device assists in carrying out the replacement procedure(depending on the computerized system used for your surgery). 

What About Partial Knee Replacement?

Partial knee replacement preserves the range of motion and functions better than total knee replacement. How? Because in partial knee replacement, the method preserves healthy tissue and bone in the knee. For these significant reasons, patients are more satisfied with partial knee replacement than with total knee replacement.

 

What Do You Mean By Rheumatoid Arthritis?

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammation that affects joints in the hands and the legs. In this medical condition, the patient’s immune system works against its physical performance, damaging tissues and joints. If the situation is not taken care of on time, Rheumatoid arthritis can also damage major internal organs. 

 

It is a challenging medical condition that the practitioner finds typically tricky to determine, especially during the early stage of the same. However-

• Physical exams– The doctors see whether there is any swelling, warmth, or redness in the joints. The practitioner will also try to determine the muscle’s reflex range and endurance level.  
• Blood Tests– The patient with Rheumatoid arthritis frequently shows an elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate or C-reactive protein (CRP) level. This proves the presence of an inflammation process in the body. The blood tests also try to discover rheumatoid factor and anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) antibodies.
• Imaging Test– The most common imaging method is an X-Ray which tracks the exact advancement of Rheumatoid arthritis. The doctors also ask the patient to go for an MRI and Ultrasound, which verifies the severity of the situation.

 

What Is The Treatment Followed In Rheumatoid Arthritis?

There is no cure for Rheumatoid arthritis. However, knee/joint replacing Surgery is a measure undertaken by practitioners to bring the check into the situation. Additionally, advanced medical science shows if there is the implementation of medication at the early stage of Rheumatoid arthritis, then remission of the symptoms is possible. So, what are the medicines considered?

• NSAIDs(Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)- This medication alternative is considered to reduce inflammation or reduce pain. 
• DMARDs(Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs)- Clinical studies on Rheumatoid have shown a high chance of remission of symptoms if the treatment starts early with DMARDs.
• Conventional DMARDs- The medications typically slow the progression of Rheumatoid and secure the area from permanent damage.
• Targeted synthetic DMARDs- Often taken into consideration when the conventional DMARDs are not showing any effective results.
• Biologic agents- These also go by the name biological response modifiers. This treatment choice works fine when paired with Conventional DMARDs.
• Steroids- Often undertaken to speed up the remission process while increasing the chance of tapering off the medicines. 

 

What Are The Possible Surgery Options To Take Care Of Regarding Rheumatoid Arthritis?

If the medication discussed above in any way fails to work, the doctor will suggest you consider these surgery procedures-

• Knee/Joint replacements-Here the surgeon takes out the damaged bone while replacing the same with a metal/plastic prosthetic. 
• Joint Infusion- Fusing the joints is another well-grounded surgical method advised to stabilize or realign the joints to relieve the pain.
• Tendon Repair- The inflammation caused by Rheumatoid arthritis typically makes the tendons around the joint loosen up or rupture in some severe cases. Surgery helps in repairing the situation. 
• Synovectomy- This operation is carried out to remove the inflamed lining of the joint. This can help reduce the pain while improving the joint’s flexibility.

 

While Concluding

Knee replacement and Rheumatoid arthritis are entirely different medical conditions where one concerns the knee, and in the latter, any joint can be severely compromised. CureBridge is the medicinal platform dedicated to providing you with the best orthopedic treatment for patients looking forward to recovering much faster. If you find yourself in any of the above-discussed situations, visit CureBridge right now; the medical practitioners are here to help you find your cure and live a happy, healthy life. Hope you have a wonderful day ahead.