Prosthetic knee and sports

Which sport is advisable for a knee prosthesis and which is not?

The opinion on the subject of exercise after using a Knee prosthesis has changed a lot in recent years. Considerations on this point are becoming more and more necessary as the patients who are fitted with a knee prosthesis keep getting younger.
It used to be said for the first time after Knee replacement surgery the patient should take it easy and in the long term the artificial one should be used Knee joint are burdened as little as possible so as not to endanger it.

However, there are now several studies that suggest exactly the opposite. Today, it is recommended to those affected to do adequate sport again soon after the implantation of the joint prosthesis, preferably within the first three days after the surgery. In the beginning, this mobilization is best done with crutches or a walker joint not to overload directly. Of course, some activities require special care, including climbing stairs.
Sports that are particularly suitable for people with a knee joint prosthesis are, for example hike or Nordic walking, Cycle, swim or any form of gymnastics (of course here especially the physiotherapywhich is done under the professional guidance of a physical therapist or doctor).

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The knee joint is one of the joints with the greatest stress.

Therefore, the treatment of the knee joint (e.g. meniscus tear, cartilage damage, cruciate ligament damage, runner's knee, etc.) requires a lot of experience.
I treat a wide variety of knee diseases in a conservative way.
The aim of any treatment is treatment without surgery.

Which therapy achieves the best results in the long term can only be determined after looking at all of the information (Examination, X-ray, ultrasound, MRI, etc.) be assessed.

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Sports should be avoided in which the knee joint can be exposed to jerky movements, especially turning, or in which it has to make sudden stopping movements, as these place particular stress on the artificial joint.
This includes football, martial arts (Karate, judo, etc.), Skiing, tennis or squash. As long as you don't overdo it, there is nothing wrong with jogging.
In the context of a study, patients with a knee prosthesis only have a risk of around 10% of prematurely limiting their functionality due to excessive mechanical stress during sport. However, not only this was an astonishingly positive finding, the study had a far more surprising result to show: Those among those affected who subjected their knee prosthesis to regular mechanical loads actually had fewer problems with the new joint on average than the control group.

How well the rehabilitation succeeds with a knee joint prosthesis also depends on the state of activity in which a patient was before the operation. The stronger the muscles, the better the joint works, as this guarantees more stability and strength in the knee.

Read also on this topic Rehabilitation after a knee prosthesis

Knee prosthesis pain

The decision in favor of a knee prosthesis is usually made due to painful restricted mobility. Not least because of this, it is very annoying for patients if pain persists even after the operation. Unfortunately that is Aftercarethat inevitably follows the implantation of an artificial knee joint, often one Test of patience for patients and doctors. Pain occur over a long period of time after surgery in up to a quarter of the time on.

There are many possible causes for this. The wrong size of the implanted joint can cause problems as well as postoperative remodeling processes of the bone tissue in the operating area. Pain can also originate from other anatomical structures such as muscles, ligaments, and the joint capsule.
After an operation there can be a inflammatory disease and weakening of the ligamentous apparatus. Longer immobilization can also lead to a breakdown of the muscles. In some patients, both of these lead to instability and painfulness of the operated joint.
Pain can also affect a Loosening of the prosthesis and last but not least one infection indicate.

Any occurrence of chronic pain after implantation of an artificial knee joint should be clarified by a doctor. The potential of the clinical examination, laboratory diagnostics and imaging procedures must first be fully exploited before a revision operation can be performed. Attempts should also be made to approach the problem as conservatively as possible, i.e. without surgery, since every intervention increases the risk of infections and inevitably leads to the loss of further bone substance.