How to Get Relief from Knee Pain After Surgery

While some patients seek surgery for cosmetic purposes, others go for them for unavoidable medical reasons. One example of the most sought after procedure is knee surgery. Although many people seek it for medical reasons, some just wish to enhance their walking styles or improve their movement like Sharon Stone. Whatever the reason for the procedure, knees are vital for man's movement.

Without them, walking, jogging and running would be literally impossible. This makes the knees one of the largest, most complex and overused joint in the body. The stress on it is the major cause of arthritis. It is also one joint that easily succumbs to injuries.

The knee is made up of four main components namely; cartilage, bones, tendons and ligaments. Any of these structures can be injured. It can be in the form of sprains, tears and dislocation. If one of them is affected, the whole knee gets affected. When this happens, there is lots of pain as well as swelling. Most knee injuries lead to instability or the feeling that the knee is giving way. There are ways to handle this including surgery.

A majority of patients opt for knee replacement surgery because it decreases pain, increases mobility, improves one quality of life as well as daily activities.

Types of knee injuries that may lead to surgery are:

a) Fractures - The bone mostly affected on the knee is the patella. A significant number of knee injuries are as a result of high energy trauma that may be due to falls from tall heights or collisions.

b) Dislocations - When the bones on the knees are partially or completely out of place, a dislocation occurs. They often result from falls or wrong landing during sporting activities.

c) Meniscal Tears - Most tears are obtained during sporting activities. They can also be caused by aging and arthritis. If one gets up from a chair and twists so suddenly, a tear may be caused especially if the menisci are weakened due to aging.

d) Ligament injuries - There are various types of ligament injuries including anterior cruciate ligament, posterior cruciate ligament and collateral ligament injuries.

When knees are injured, they need to be treated as soon as possible. Type of treatment largely depends on the extent of injury. The doctor can decide whether to apply surgical or non-surgical treatment. After surgical operations, there is bound to be pain. The doctor can design the best method to handle this. These include:

1) Use of Opioid Analgesics - These are the most preferred medicines to reduce pain for short term purposes. Opioids come in two forms namely; natural and artificial. They work by blocking pain transmission to brain.

2) Intravenous Pain - Controlled Analgesia- This method of pain control is done by use of a pump that releases prescribed amount of dose into the veins through the IV line. If a patient presses the button before the designed time, no medicine gets into the veins. Goldie Hawn once used this method after her procedures.

3) Non-Steroid Anti-Inflammatory Drugs - These medications are used to reduce pain, soreness and swellings for mild cases. When the pain is severe, they can be used in conjunction with opioids.