Replacement Wherever It Breaks, Total Replacement Not Needed: Robotic Partial Knee Replacement, Faster Healing and Longer Durability

05 October 2023

Severe knee arthritis requires surgical treatment, through total knee replacement surgery or partial knee replacement surgery. Partial knee replacement surgery is complex, however, by utilizing robotic aid in the surgery process, the surgeon can operate at a precise angle, the patient can recover faster and return to their normal lives, and the durability of the implanted joint can last at least 20 years, eliminating the need for the patient to undergo multiple surgeries.

Arthritis is an inflammation of the joints, often known as degenerative arthritis or osteoarthritis, which relates to cartilage deterioration. Simply put, when a person ages, his or her body begins to worsen, including the joints, which leads to wear and tear, as well as weakening of the cartilage.

Primary osteoarthritis is a disorder in which a person's joints degrade owing to age alone, accounting for the vast majority of instances of osteoarthritis.

Secondary osteoarthritis is another form of arthritic condition caused by medical conditions in the joints and other acquired causes. Gout, rheumatic or rheumatoid arthritis, and people with mixed connective tissue diseases, such as Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), are examples of these medical issues.

 

1 in 3 People Over 55 Years Old in Kuala Lumpur Have Arthritis

Among the Malaysian population, osteoarthritis affects around 10% of males and 13% of females. In Kuala Lumpur, up to 30.5% of adults over the age of 55 have osteoarthritis, implying that one in every three people is afflicted.

In terms of ethnicity, Malay are highest at 44.6%, followed by Indians at 31.9% and Chinese at 23.5%. Based on presumption, it might be due to Malays doing a lot of kneeling and bending as their prayer rituals and the knee caps are highly used which may increase the chance of knee arthritis.

Our country's elderly population is increasing. As the older population grows, so will the number of people who suffers from osteoarthritis. This is why the disease will become more prevalent in the coming years.

 

Lack of Mobility Will Caused Illness

Osteoarthritis may affect mobility and negatively impact a person's everyday activities and quality of life. For instance, some elderly with mobility issues may not leave their homes, which over time can also result in mental illness.

Additionally, when they have mobility issues brought on by their sickness, they exercise at a lower or nearly zero rate, which might affect the way other organs operate and result in the development of other illnesses.

Warming up Before Exercise is Not Overweight To Reduce Knee Load

As mentioned above, the onset of osteoarthritis is related to aging and genetics, which there is nothing we can do to prevent it, nevertheless, there are ways to lower the risk of occurrence through our life.

First of all, when you do any exercise, you need to wear appropriate shoes and warm up before exercise; if you want to do fitness exercises, ask a professional trainer to guide you, do not carry heavy dumbbells at will; other than that, you need to take care of your own bodies, such as overweight or obese people need to adjust their diet and do exercise. By reducing the burden on the knees, it will reduce the chances of knee arthritis as well.

Osteoarthritis treatment typically relies on the disease and degree of damage - from moderate to the most severe. In minor situations, the patient may choose to wear a knee brace or receive knee supplements like glucosamine to protect the knee joints. Painkillers can be given if the pain is too severe.

 

Hyaluronic Acid Once Every Six Months

When the condition reaches stage 3, we advise the patient to undergo arthroscopic surgery. This technique entails cutting two small holes in the area of concern and inserting an arthroscope to treat it, which consists of cleaning debris from within and then applying hyaluronic acid to minimize pain. However, this is a temporary cure that will only last around 6 months.

 

Arthroplasty: Partial Vs Total Knee

Arthroplasty can be divided into partial knee replacement and total knee replacement which is more common.

The knee cap is divided into three parts: the medial, lateral and patellofemoral compartments. If all three parts of the knee suffer damage, a total knee replacement surgery is necessary; if only one part of the knee is damaged, a partial knee joint replacement surgery is required.

 

Ligaments Intact: Two Weeks to Recovery

The advantage of partial knee replacement surgery is that the knee ligaments are still intact after the procedure and the artificial knees joints are more natural, allowing the patient to move around as usual and recover very quickly, taking only about two weeks as compared to a month of recovery for a total knee replacement surgery.

 

ROSA Precision Implanted Artificial Joints Resistant For Up to 30 Years

In traditional surgery, the surgeon measures the joint position using a medical clamp, which occasionally results in 'not precise measurement' issues, such as being off by two or three centimeters and it has a very short durability. However, with the ROSA, the alignment and position of the implant is so precise that the artificial joint is now more durable, lasting 20 to 30 years.

The surgical incision is small with the assistance of ROSA, reduce pain, bleeding and complications. Patient feels natural and stable when walking. The patient will be able to walk soon after the operation but they will be unable to run or jump.

 

High Level of Technical Difficulty in Bureau Exchange

Because of this, partial knee replacement surgery often comes with lower experiences. The technical aspect is more important and the complexity is higher.

Because of the experience in partial knee replacement surgery is lower, we must persuade the patient to undertake this operation at an early stage in order to prevent the condition from worsening.

Although these procedures are challenging, the safety and accuracy of ROSA can save patients and doctors a lot of difficulty.

In addition, the benefits of ROSA include shorter hospital stays, reduced blood loss and pain, greater stability and faster healing.

 

Careful Care to Avoid Bacterial Infections

After the knee is replaced, the patient's life will return to normal, but our major concern is that many individuals are unaware that the artificial joint that was implanted into the knee has to be "protected". One uncommon incident that not many people are aware of is a bacterial infection that affects the implanted joint.

When bacterial infections like urinary tract infections or oral infections take hold of the body, they can eventually move to other part of the body, including knee joints and cause serious complications.

 

Repeated Cleaning and Antibiotics

In these circumstances, the surgeon must perform surgery to regularly clean the infected area, remove the artificial joint and then inject antibiotics into it over the course of around 6 weeks. About three months later, a new artificial joint will be reinserted.

The patient is unable to get out of bed during this time without the artificial joint, which can be quite upsetting. Which is why, it is crucial to properly care for the joint after surgery.

Although these occurrences are uncommon, many individuals are unaware of them.

 

Source: Sin Chew Daily

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