I treat the pain of early arthritis with a combined, conservative approach. A good first step is trying over-the-counter pain and anti-inflammatory medication.
It’s important to check with your primary doctor to make sure you are allowed to take these medicines. If over-the-counter medications aren’t working, I can prescribe you a prescription-strength, long-acting anti-inflammatory like Celebrex or Meloxicam.
For people who still have knee pain, injecting medicine directly into the knee can provide months of relief for some patients. This is a quick and relatively painless procedure that can be done in the office during your appointment. Joint injections are available in a few different formulations and can be repeated every 3-6 months if they are providing excellent relief.
In addition to medications and injections, strengthening and supporting the muscles around the knee can also relieve knee pain for some patients.
Conservative management is always the first step of treatment. For many patients, conservative treatment can offer months to years of pain relief without the risks of surgery.
While joint replacement is one of the safest surgeries, all surgeries carry the risk of infection, nerve or blood vessel injury, or complications from anesthesia.
My approach is considered minimally invasive, which minimizes or avoids damage to muscles, tendons, and ligaments around your knee joint while still replacing the arthritic joint. The steps of a partial knee replacement are as follows:
While partial knee replacement may seem like a bridge to total knee replacement, partial knees are designed to last your lifetime. Ten years after surgery, about 90% of partial knee replacements done in the U.S. still function well, and 15 years after surgery, more than 85% of patients are still doing well. These numbers are similar to total knee replacements.
One advantage of a partial knee replacement is that if the rest of the knee wears out, it can usually be switched to a total knee replacement that is almost as good as a first-time knee replacement, compared to a more involved re-do surgery when a total knee was done initially.
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Patients will be highly satisfied with partial knee replacement if their arthritis is limited to one area of the knee. When arthritis affects more than one area, a total knee replacement will be recommended.
Yes. Dr. Keating has access to every surgical robot on the market. Most patients are eligible for Dr. Keating’s preferred approach which uses custom instrumentation to perform a minimally invasive operation. Patients who are not candidates for the custom instrumentation can still have robotic surgery.
Every joint replacement has a plastic bearing that can be removed and replaced without disturbing the metals parts fixed to your bones. This allows a new bearing to be placed with a minor surgery compared to the first joint replacement surgery you had.
No! Dr. Keating does not restrict his patients from doing things that they love after surgery. However, patients must understand that the plastic bearing of their joint replacement will wear out faster with higher impact activities.
Every patient is different. Patients are up walking on a knee replacement the same day of surgery, usually with a device like a cane or walker for balance. By 2 weeks, most patients are off strong pain medication. By 4 weeks, most patients are back to doing most activities and at this point can ease back into higher levels of activity. By 12 weeks, patients are able to return to heavy activity levels.
Total and partial knee replacements are designed to last your whole life, but can wear out over time. At 15 years after joint replacement, about 85% of patients are still doing very well without repeat surgery.
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