How to Extend the Life of an Artificial Knee
An achy, arthritic and damaged knee joint can severely impact a person's quality of life. Thankfully, total knee replacements(TKR) are available that can give patients with severely damaged knees a new lease on life. No longer does a person have to suffer the pain and limitations imposed by a bad knee. An artificial knee can be implanted, allowing a person to return to a pain free and active lifestyle. However, as is the case with all types of artificial joints, an artificial knee can wear out over time, necessitating a second replacement operation or revision. By following these simple suggestions, you can greatly increase the longevity of your artificial knee implant.
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How to Extend the Life of an Artificial Knee
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Take good care of your artificial knee and it will take good care of you. In other words, don't abuse your new knee. Artificial knee replacements, as well as all other types of artificial joints, are designed to be long-lasting and durable; they are made to withstand great loads and repetitive motions over great lengths of time. However, there are limits. Above all, high impact activities should be avoided at all costs. Running, jogging, jumping, and most types of professional contact-type sports should be avoided. These activities place a tremendous amount of strain and load on an artificial knee and greatly reduce its longevity. Wear and loosening of the prostheses are the two main culprits resulting in early failure of artificial knee implants, and high impact activities greatly increase the likelihood of this happening. Stick to low impact activities such as cycling, walking, swimming or hiking for your physical and recreational needs.
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Eliminate excess weight. Being overweight greatly increases the stress placed on your artificial knee. Just like with artificial hip replacements, keeping your weight down to a healthy level will greatly increase the longevity of your new knee. Although knee joints don't support quite as much body weight as do hip joints, the knee still supports a large part of a person's weight with each step. Keeping your weight down eliminates a great deal of stress that is placed on an artificial knee.
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Keep your leg muscles in and around your knee joint as strong and flexible as possible. The muscles in the leg act as shock absorbers each time your foot hits the ground; the stronger and more conditioned your leg muscles are, the more support they will offer your artificial knee. Low impact activities such as swimming, cycling, walking and even lower body strength training offer a great lower body workout that will help to keep your leg muscles conditioned and strong, which, in turn, will add to the stability and protection of your knee.
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Avoid hyper-extending or twisting movements on a repetitive basis. Unlike the hip joint, which is designed to offer more flexibility in terms of movement, the knee is designed to be less flexible, and as a result is more easily injured if pushed beyond its natural limits. To ensure the health and longevity of your new knee, it would be wise to avoid any activity that causes your knee to twist or hyper-extend, as would be encountered by playing various types of recreational sports such as basketball, singles tennis, and various other stop-and-go type activities.
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