Partial knee replacement versus total knee replacement: Which is right for you?

For old and young patients suffering from arthritis or knee problems, total or partial knee replacement surgery is the most feasible options nowadays. While for some group of patients, partial knee replacement is the only option, whereas for others total knee replacement can be the last resort.

Differences between the partial and the total knee replacement:

  • Benefits of total knee replacement include that most of the patients become more flexible after this operation. The patients must remember that depending on the affected portion of the knees, they should go for partial or total knee replacements.
  • According to Dr Niraj Vora, a renowned knee replacement specialist in Mumbai, partial knee replacement is required when parts of a knee or ligament are affected by arthritis.
  • In case of a full knee replacement method, the ligament needs to be balanced very easily, but in case of partial knee replacement surgery, only a single chamber of the knee is resurfaced, and the patients can also get back their earlier life, and they can squat, or even kneel down.
  • Dr Vora is one of the most popular knee resurfacing doctors in India, and so he understands the exact requirements of patients suffering from gout, arthritis or weakening of the cartilages. It is also a fact that, if a part of the cartilage or the meniscus is operated or damaged during the infant years of a person, then partial knee replacement surgery can prove immensely helpful to him/her.

 

Partial Knee and Total Knee Replacement

Some important points to remember before opting for total knee replacement:

Benefits of total knee replacement surgery cannot be avoided, as it often allows the patient to carry a prosthetic leg. The new joint that is attached to the knees after the surgery, allows the patient to move about like before, and the bones are also saved from getting chaffed and disintegrated.

Knee replacement surgery recovery time can vary from person to person, but usually as the patient begins to recover within few weeks, the doctors can discharge him/her. There are certain restrictions with regard to taking showers, exercises, lifting heavy weights, and also regarding driving. The concerned specialist must be consulted for immediate effects and any sort of complications.

Some salient features of partial knee replacement which is minimally invasive:

  • Unicompartmental replacement
  • Very less blood loss
  • Rapid rehabilitation