Am I a candidate for knee surgery?
Knee arthritis is a wear and tear process that gradually gets worse over time. It can cause many problems in the knee, including :
- Pain, which can be severe
- Swelling
- Stiffness
- Instability and giving way
- Decreased exercise tolerance and walking ability
In the early stages of arthritis, the knee can be managed non-surgically. Non-surgical treatment options include avoiding exacerbating activities, weight loss, taking anti-inflammatories and painkillers, injections and physiotherapy. For more information about hte non-surgical treatment of arthritis, click here.
After a while, symptoms can worsen despite appropriate non-surgical management. If you are experiencing any of the following, it may be time to consider surgery :
- Severe pain
- Pain preventing you from doing the things you want to do
- Being unable to walk as far as you need to
- Pain keeping you awake at night
- Unsteadiness caused by knee pain or instability of the joint
- Worsening deformity of the knee
If you are experiencing any of these problems, please come and see us. Justin will fully assess your knee and will discuss your treatment options with you so that you can regain the function you want from your knee.
