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Knee Osteotomy is an effective surgical procedure for rectifying a joint’s alignment, enhancing its function and reducing inflammation, associated with chronic arthritis. The surgeon recommends an osteotomy to patients with early-stage osteoarthritis, where the damage is in the initial stage and has affected only one part of the knee.
Osteotomy is considered an advantageous alternative to knee replacement, where the surgeon will shift the weight from the weaker side to the healthier side of the knee, allowing the real joint to last longer.
Why is it done?
Due to osteoarthritis, the cartilage wears out easily and creates a rough patch around the bone. Slick cartilage, which allows the bones’ end to move smoothly against each other, narrows the space between the femur and tibia. As a result, the bone changes its shape bowing inward or outward depending on which side damage has occurred.
Here, the surgeon will remove or add a wedge of bone in an upper shinbone or lower thigh bone to straighten the deformity and shift the weight to the unaffected side of the knee joint. Osteotomy restores bone health and increases the life span of the damaged joint.
Today, osteoarthritis is one of the common bone diseases affecting more women than men. It can be developed when the leg and knee bones do not align due to internal & external factors. As an outcome, the joint receives extra stress either on the medial or lateral side. When the pressure increases, the cartilage protecting bone wears away, causing pain and stiffness in the knee.
Benefits of Knee Osteotomy Surgery
A knee osteotomy specialist will guide you through your treatment, preventing knee joint damage and delaying the joint replacement surgery.
After knee osteotomy surgery, you can get back to all sorts of physical activities, including high-impact exercises, such as running and playing your favouritefavorite sports. However, the person undergoing replacement surgery has to endure certain lifetime restrictions .restrictions.
Knee Osteotomy is suitable for;
- According to senior orthopaedic surgeons from AMRI Hospitals, active patients aged 40-60 years have shown better recovery results. People who are on the leaner side are the right candidates for the surgery
- People standing for a long duration in their jobs might be at risk of the condition, but pain on only one side of the knee can be effectively treated with the surgery
- A patient should be able to straighten the knee and bend it at least 90 degrees
- Patients with osteoarthritis are suggested to undergo Osteotomy. The ones dealing with the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis are not eligible for the treatment; instead joint replacement is the better surgical procedure for them
Recovery after Knee Osteotomy
- Healing after the surgery might take a longer time, and depending on the patient’s overall bone health, the doctor will prescribe a personalized after-care plan, which strictly needs to be followed by the patient
- The patient is required to take the help of crutches during the rehabilitation period
- Medications and maintaining a healthy diet are necessary during the recovery phase
