Providing specialized orthopedic care at five convenient locations around Northeast Wisconsin. Click to find a location near you.
(920) 560-1000
Our Facility Patient Experience Patient Testimonials News & Blog

Knee Replacement and the Recovery Process

Knee pain can become such a big problem that the only formidable solution is to seek replacements through a surgical procedure to restore the condition. Different factors can cause the pain, some of which are inherent to the body while others are largely physical. Specialists report that medical conditions such as arthritis contribute to nearly 40 percent of such pains. The rest result from injuries the patients obtain during a physical activity or from an accident.

The treatment process, however, has to be handled with absolute care to provide permanent solutions to the individuals. Knee replacement in the Fox Valley involves a trail of activities in which the orthopedics have to test and conduct scans on the joints in the knees to come up with the right diagnosis for treatment. The treatment takes place through physiotherapy, drug admission, and surgical procedures depending on recommendations from the diagnostics.

What is Knee Replacement and Why is it Important?

When that body part develops severe pains, it may be necessary to eliminate some of the constituents of the joint causing discomfort to the patient. The medical procedure in the replacements is termed as arthroplasty. It is the repair of the affected joint through surgery, in which a specialist reconstructs it by inserting artificial parts to replace the degenerated joints. The fabricated replacement parts are known as prosthetics.

With damaged or worn-out cartilage, tendons, and internal joint parts, the knees can be painful, which restricts movement. The rubbing of the bones on each other often makes them crush instead of gliding. Using prosthesis is largely instrumental in the surgical procedure to help restore the situation and provide a permanent solution to the same.

Who Should Require a Replacement?

When an individual begins to feel severe pain and stiffness limiting them to engage in their daily chores relating to motion, they should seek orthopedics assistance for diagnostics. According to doctors for knee replacement in Green Bay, Oshkosh, and Appleton, individuals who experience acute or mild pain in that area during their sleep or during a normal rest hours should go for a checkup, which might lead to replacements.

Types of Knee Replacements

Replacements can be either partial or total depending on the gravity of the condition. In total replacements, both sides of the joint are replaced while only one side of the joint is replaced in partial knee replacements.

Recovery After the Replacement

Specialists for knee replacements report that most of their patients can remain in the facility for at least one day or up to three days. This, however, depends on the response of an individual to the rehabilitation process. Physiotherapists are important in the process of helping the patients move to strengthen the body part. Patients should take iron supplements to help strengthen their muscles and heal the surgical wounds faster.

If you would like to request a consultation with one of the orthopedic specialists at the Orthopedic & Sports Institute (OSI), please call (920) 560-1000 or request an appointment online. OSI is Northeast Wisconsin’s exclusive provider of Mako Robotic-Arm Assisted Surgery for Hips & Knees. OSI has convenient locations to serve you. In addition to the flagship facility in Appleton, you will find outreach clinics in New London, Ripon, Shawano, Waupaca, and the newest location serving the Green Bay area, inside the NOVO Health Clinic in De Pere. The Appleton location also has a walk-in clinic that provides care for new orthopedic injuries.

For post-surgical recovery and rehabilitation, Recovery Inn is located on the campus of the Orthopedic & Sports Institute in Appleton (OSI). This skilled nursing facility was the first orthopedics-only recovery facility in the nation attached to a surgery center. At OSI, you can have your surgery and rehab without leaving the building. Physical and occupational therapy take place steps from your room, where you will be rehabbing with the nationally recognized therapists from Advanced Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine.

For more information or to schedule a tour, please contact Recovery Inn Executive Director Shaena Van Handel at 920.560.1066.

OSI is a proud member of NOVO Health.