Are you searching for the best orthopedic surgeon for your knee replacement surgery? Do you want to get relief from severe pain caused by osteoarthritis? You have made a perfect decision. Even after taking huge medicines, if you are having difficulty while walking, climbing stairs, standing up from bathtubs and chairs, then you really need to visit the department of orthopedic surgery in hospitals, nearby clinics to get the treatment and right time for your operation.
Before that, you should look at our guide to let you know how to find the right surgeon for successful knee arthroscopy or knee replacement.
Choosing an Orthopedic Surgeon: Quick Tips
Study the Orthopedic Surgeon’s Credentials
Orthopedic surgeons handle the patients who come to them for complete knee replacement surgery. Board certification is an essential factor that you must consider when finding a specialist for knee arthroscopy.
Certification tells you whether the surgeon has the desired skills, experience, and training to give you better orthopedic care. Many physicians undergo years of training to become board-certified knee doctors. However, there is no licensing or formal qualification required for knee replacement surgery, but remember one thing: some people make duplicate certificates for earning money, unlike other fields.
Always check the official website before booking an appointment with any hospital for knee replacement surgery. You can confirm that the surgeon has no background of disciplinary action or malpractice. If you are not sure about this, prepare some important questions to ask your orthopedic surgeon prior to the knee joint replacement. For example:
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What Results Can I Expect from You?
As per the study of the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons, 50% of recovery expectations between patients and doctors have not been matched. Your operating surgeon should be confident, and you also have to hope for the best – otherwise, it would be difficult for you to begin the surgery process. Every patient has different expectations, and his/her knee surgery replacement recovery timeline varies based on age and the surgeon’s experience. You can evaluate your mobility and pain on a scale of 1 to 10 before asking questions like, “My pain is at 9 right now, what can I assume after post-surgery or how much recovery rate can you assure me after 15 days?”
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What Kind of Anesthesia Can I Have for Knee Replacement Surgery?
Patients may get three common types of anesthesia for total knee replacement surgery – General, Epidural, and Spinal.
General Anesthesia
General Anesthesia can give you sleep during knee arthroscopy as it works on the brain and nervous system and may affect the whole body. Your surgeon will give it to you by injection. It can be in the form of a breathing tube used by many specialists to help the patients feel relaxed when they are under anesthesia.
Advantages of General Anesthesia for Knee/Joint Replacement Surgery
General anesthesia renders you senseless or unconscious throughout the process of orthopedic surgery. The people who feel uncomfortable and scared of operations may get general anesthesia from surgeons.
Common Side Effects of General Anesthesia
- Vomiting.
- Itching.
- Nausea.
- Shivering.
- Sore throat.
- Nausea.
- Muscle aches.
- Dry mouth.
- Sleepiness.
Epidural Anesthesia
Epidural anesthesia is a popular method to reduce pain during labor. It is given to pregnant ladies as per their request while giving birth at hospitals, but it is considered the best option for the patients who want to face fewer complications after orthopedic surgery. Another name of epidural anesthesia is regional anesthesia, which blocks pain in a particular part of the body.
Advantages of Epidural Anesthesia for Knee/Joint Replacement Surgery
With epidural anesthesia, one must face very rare breathing or pulmonary problems. It ensures lower infection rates and less blood loss. According to the study of an article published on Verywellhealth, in which stated about a survey of 11,000 joint replacement patients, these are the patients who got regional anesthesia and spent a full day less in the hospital (5.7 days vs. 6.6 days of general anesthesia. Therefore, you can assume that anesthesia is one of the major concerns for knee replacement surgery, especially when hiring the world’s best orthopedic surgeon.
Common Side Effects of Epidural Anesthesia
- Feeling sick.
- Headache.
- Slow breathing.
- Temporary nerve damage.
- Low blood pressure.
- Itchy skin.
Spinal Anesthesia
It is a very common type of anesthesia utilized to give a numb feeling from the lower part of the body. Your surgeon places the numbing drug into the cerebrospinal fluid, which may cover the spinal cord — the place where the needle is inserted and then numbed with a local anesthetic.
Advantages of Spinal Anesthesia for Knee/Joint Replacement Surgery
Spinal block anesthesia ends up the need for strong pain killers and gives quick pain relief after orthopedic surgery. It puts less impact on the lungs and heart. Other than that, it may reduce the risk of blood clots in the legs following the operation.
Common Side Effects of Spinal Anesthesia
- Severe headache.
- Mild drop in blood pressure.
- Nerve damage.
- Difficulty urinating.
- Pain during the injection.
- Backache.
Know the Cost for Knee Replacement
The actual cost of the knee replacement surgery depends on factors such as food facility, qualified doctors, location, and a number of stays in the hospital. The average price for total knee arthroplasty in the United States is $57,000. If you have found this cost very high, there is no need to worry as there are various surgeons available online that you can look forward to reaching the cost-effective orthopedic surgeon. The alternative way to minimize the surgery expenses with health insurance documents, if you are already a member of such types of plans, then get the benefit as much as you can.
Check a Surgeon’s Success Rate
The best orthopedic surgeons perform about hundred of procedures every year. You don’t need to feel shy while inquiring about the surgeon’s success rate. Basically, knee surgery has become a routine task for many healthcare institutions. The surgeons of the United States alone carry out approximately 600,000 total knee replacements annually. The more the experience your doctors contain for knee arthroscopy, the more positive results you can expect from them at the end of the surgery.
