Knee surgery is an exceptionally common major surgery, with nearly 800,000 knee replacements occurring a year. But one lesser-known surgery that you may need to know more about is knee realignment surgery.
What is knee realignment surgery, and what are the most important knee surgery indicators? If you’re curious about a leg health check, knowing how to spot the orthopedic signs of needing knee surgery is critical.
If you’re awaiting a knee realignment surgery diagnosis and aren’t sure what the signs are, we’re here to help. Here are three common signs that you should talk to your orthopedic surgeon about.
What Is Knee Realignment Surgery?
A knee realignment – also called knee osteotomy – aims to relieve pressure on your joint and cartilage. The surgery realigns the limb to fight against the natural shaping of the legs over time.
Overall, knee realignment is a major surgery that requires a lengthy recovery time. However, it’s not as intense of a surgery as a complete knee replacement and is considered less invasive. Due to being less invasive, the recovery time is shorter and less painful.
Signs You Need Knee Realignment
What are the signs you need a knee realignment? Here are three of the most common signs you should speak to your doctor about.
Consistent Pain Near Your Knees
One of the most commonly cited symptoms is consistent pain near your knees. At times, this pain becomes sharper, especially during walking or turning.
The pain comes as a result of the arthritic symptoms that accompany needing a knee realignment. A realignment’s goal is to alleviate this precise symptom, so always speak to your doctor. There may also be lesser causes and fixes that can save you on recovery time.
Gradual Change to Bow Legged
As we age, our knees and legs naturally turn to a more bow-legged stance. A knee realignment can help to alleviate these symptoms, which grow more intense as time goes on.
The stance forces also cause greater pain. That means it’s best to have this symptom checked out quickly so that the damage doesn’t get worse.
Considering Age
Finally, though age is related, you shouldn’t let age stop you from getting a knee realignment. Some people may feel that they’re too young to get the surgery. Others feel that advanced age may make the recovery time more intense.
Your age is often correlated to your need for knee realignment surgery, and it’s most common among older individuals. Don’t let this stop you from getting the surgery if you’re a younger patient.
Preparing for Surgery
Knee realignment surgery is a minimally invasive major knee surgery that helps to alleviate symptoms related to age and arthritis. Speak to your orthopedic specialist to discuss whether you need to consider this surgery.
Here at Blackrock Orthopedics, we’ve been dedicated to helping patients return to their favorite activities as soon as possible. We’re dedicated to helping our patients fight through injury, aging, pain, and more to lead happier, healthier lives. Contact us today to see how we can help you return to the beautiful polishing process of life.
