Yes, damage caused by rheumatoid arthritis or RA to the knee can be fixed with knee replacement surgery. This surgery indeed helps with chronic knee pain and severe mobility issues caused by RA. 

This surgery is often recommended when RA has damaged the knee completely and it cannot be fixed with medicines, physiotherapy and other non-surgical treatment options. 

To learn about rheumatoid arthritis and its wrecking effect on the knee, read the article below. Also, read everything important about knee replacement surgery.

What Is Rheumatoid Arthritis?

It is an autoimmune disorder. In RA, the body’s healthy joints get inflamed due to corrupted activities of the immune system. In other words, the immune system starts attacking its own healthy cells and tissues, which results in joint inflammation.

Cause Of Rheumatoid Arthritis

The cause of RA is yet unknown. It is mainly considered that genes play a major role in this regard. Certain genes can make one more susceptible to exhibiting hypersensitivity against environmental pathogens like viruses, bacteria, etc. 

In other words, some people have an overactive immune system due to the presence of certain genes. 

To know in detail, read the following article: rheumatoid arthritis causes and symptoms.

How Does Rheumatoid Arthritis Affect The Knee?

The knee has various parts like bones, articular cartilage, ligaments, tendons, synovium, meniscus, bursa, muscles, etc. In short, there are bony parts as well as soft tissues. 

The synovium or joint lining is a crucial part of the knee. It produces the joint lubricant, which is also called synovial fluid. This fluid helps keep the joint well-oiled so that it can move smoothly without any friction.   

RA causes inflammation of this membrane in the knee. In other words, RA leads to chronic synovitis in the knee. As a result, the synovial membrane produces more lubricant/synovial fluid than normal. Increased lubricant results in internal damage to the joint cartilage. 

Once the cartilage has been damaged, bones in the knee rub against each other causing chronic pain and causing walking problems.   

Due to inflamed synovium, the knee becomes red, swollen and warm on the outside. This is the main symptom of rheumatoid arthritis affecting the knee.

When Does One Need Knee Replacement Surgery For Rheumatoid Arthritis?

When left untreated, RA damages the knee completely over time, causing deformities and mobility issues. 

If the situation isn’t that bad, a surgeon might perform an arthroscopic synovectomy. It is a procedure to remove the inflamed synovium. 

Under arthroscopic synovectomy, a surgeon removes the inflamed synovium from the knee. It is a minimally invasive surgical procedure performed with an arthroscope and other similar surgical instruments. It only requires making a few holes through the knee skin. 

Removing the inflamed joint lining or synovium doesn’t cure the condition of rheumatoid arthritis. It just slows cartilage loss and improves knee pain and mobility up to a certain extent. 

However, when RA has already caused too much damage to the knee, a surgeon will require knee replacement surgery to get the damaged knee back to work like normal once again. 

To consult the best knee specialist, go to the following link: knee pain doctor in Delhi NCR.

What Is Knee Replacement Surgery?

Knee replacement surgery is performed for a completely damaged knee. Various external and internal causes can lead to total knee dysfunction. RA is one such internal cause.

During this surgery, a knee surgeon removes the damaged parts of the knee and then resurfaces them with an implant, which is made of plastic and metal. 

Benefits Of The Surgery

One enjoys the following advantages after going through knee replacement surgery. 

• Permanent relief from knee pain
• No more joint stiffness, swelling and inflammation
• Improved mobility
• Increased Independence
• Improved social life
• Better physical and mental well-being 

All of these factors together lead to an increased standard of living.

Types Of Knee Replacement Surgery

There are two types of knee replacement surgery. 

• Total knee replacement
• Partial knee replacement 

Total knee replacement is recommended when the knee of a person is completely damaged and thus it cannot be restored with any other options than TKR or total knee replacement surgery. 

One might need TKR for either one knee or both. When it is for just one knee, it is called a unilateral procedure, otherwise bilateral. 

Sometimes, the knee might not be completely damaged but just one part. In that case, only that part will be removed and resurfaced through surgery. It is called partial knee replacement surgery.  

What To Expect After Surgery

After knee replacement surgery, the following care is ensured to prevent complications and promote rehabilitation.

Hospital Care: Right after the surgery, the patient is shifted from the surgery room to the recovery room. There, the patient has to stay until they have totally come out of the effects of anaesthesia. 

Total knee replacement surgery is often performed under general anaesthesia. The patient lies completely unconscious throughout the procedure. 

In the recovery room, the patient is checked frequently to ensure early detection of potential complications. 

Blood Clot Prevention: Once the patient is fully conscious, medical staff encourage them to stand up and walk. Early walking helps prevent blood clots. You might have to use a walking aid initially to keep the pressure off the knee and help you walk comfortably. 

Patients who cannot walk due to any reason are assisted in mobilising their knees with the help of a device called intermittent pneumatic compression.    

Physiotherapy: This therapy helps strengthen the operated knee using special exercises and hand movements, i.e., massages, etc. Physiotherapy also involves educating the patient on injury prevention.

Medications: Painkillers and antibiotics are also prescribed postoperatively. The former helps relieve pain while the latter helps prevent the risk of infection.

Check-Ups: The patient once discharged from the hospital also has to revisit the surgeon 14 days after the surgery for the removal of the stitches. However, if required, you might also have to pay more visits to the surgeon. 

Recovery

Recovery always varies from person to person. It depends mainly on the patient’s health and the type of knee replacement surgery done. For example, a healthy person with partial knee replacement will definitely recover faster than a patient with bilateral total knee replacement surgery.

Yet, on average, a patient with total knee replacement surgery usually takes from around 2 to 3 months to recover fully.

Conclusion

RA causes irreversible damage to the knee over time if treatment isn’t ensured on time. Don’t ignore chronic knee pain and disability when you have rheumatoid arthritis! 

Once the knee is damaged, knee replacement surgery is the only solution to get rid of pain and physical disability. 

Therefore, yes, knee replacement surgery helps to get rid of chronic knee pain from rheumatoid arthritis.