Knee replacement surgery in Croydon

Knee replacements can substantially improve the quality of life for lots of people with mobility issues, severe pain and stiffness in the joint.

Adults of any age can be considered for knee replacement surgery. However, most knee replacements are carried out on people between the ages of 60 and 80.

When you visit Shirley Oaks Hospital in Croydon, our knee replacement specialists will ask you about your symptoms, including how severe the pain is and its location. They will also want to know your age, your lifestyle, how long you have been in pain and if you believe it has been caused by something specific (such as an injury).

Our orthopaedic specialists will ask to examine your knee, to assess how freely you can move it and discover if you are experiencing any stiffness alongside the pain.

Your family history and your symptoms should help our Circle Health Group specialists make a diagnosis — and a tailored knee pain treatment plan will be discussed thereafter.

For a more accurate diagnosis, one or several tests may be needed. These include:

• X-rays, to give our consultant a better view of the knee joint
• CT scans (computerised tomography), which provide a 3D image of your knee
• MRI scans, for a clearer picture of the knee joint and the surrounding soft tissue
• Blood tests, which can indicate if you have rheumatoid arthritis

He says: “The symptoms patients most commonly present with are those of pain, swelling, stiffness, locking and giving way of the knee.”

Virtually all knee conditions are variations of these five main problems, he says, with the most common being knee injuries whereby the knee was normal and there has been a distinct moment that has provoked ongoing pain. This could be due to a twist, fall or sporting injury. In instances like this, patients will realise there is an issue, and that structural damage has probably taken place within the knee.

“The next group of conditions I see are generally arthritic conditions where someone progressively has a painful, swollen and stiff knee; with pain generally being the main feature.” continues Mr Kinmont.

“There are a group of patients with inflamed knee joints, and they typically present with pain and swelling. There is a small group of patients who present with an unstable kneecap and the last group tends to be miscellaneous conditions, such as iliotibial band syndrome or tendinopathies; this is a very mixed group of patients.”

Young patients, he says, tend not to fare as well as older patients.

“We therefore must be very sure that a patient’s knee is so bad that they are prepared to go through the big operation. We want the patient to feel as though they have exhausted all the other, lesser options that may have helped their knee, such as physiotherapy, painkillers, anti-inflammatories and often injections. These have often been tried before the patient sees me with a severely arthritic knee.”

When is knee replacement surgery the right choice?

For those whose knee is severely damaged by arthritis or injury, simple activities — such as walking or climbing stairs — may be difficult. You may also feel pain when lying down or sitting, but total knee replacement can be successful when other non-surgical methods (such as walking supports) are no longer helpful.

If your specialist recommends a knee replacement operation, you may have some questions about what it entails. You may also like to know about knee replacement costs in the UK.

Your doctor may recommend additional treatments if your pain does not improve after a few days of using the above methods.

Everything from stronger painkillers (such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) to physiotherapy (which can reduce pain and stiffness and increase your mobility in the process) may be recommended.

Corticosteroid injections may be an option, too, which can dramatically relieve pain and inflammation.

If you are overweight, our knee specialist or your doctor may suggest you try to shed some excess pounds. Being overweight can increase the pain associated with osteoarthritis.

In more serious cases, surgery — such as a total knee replacement — may help improve your quality of life dramatically.

Also called an arthroplasty, knee replacement surgery is usually recommended for you if your knee pain is very severe — so severe that it is affecting your quality of life.

It has a good success rate, with our knee surgeons performing the surgery since the 1970s.

Two main forms of knee replacement surgery are available, including a total knee replacement and partial knee replacement surgery.

Head here to learn more about knee replacement surgery and if it will benefit you.

Knee replacement surgery costs can differ from hospital to hospital. During your consultation, your knee surgeon can give you up-to-date prices or you can request these ahead of your appointment if you think knee surgery is an option for you.

You can pay for your treatment with your medical insurance, and we offer flexible payment options to help you spread the cost of knee surgery and knee treatments.

“There are special techniques, i.e. to do the procedure without a tourniquet, which minimises blood loss, bruising and swelling in the leg after the operation.”

The anaesthetist uses a spinal anaesthetic and an adductor nerve block, which optimises the first 24 hours post-surgery, adds our knee surgeon.

“I inject copious local anaesthetic in and around the knee to minimise the initial pain.” continues Mr Kinmont.

“I use implants that allow full weight bearing straight away in order that the patient can mobilise as quickly as possible with the physiotherapists.”

Patients are assessed preoperatively to ensure that they have a clear plan for their rehabilitation after the operation too.

Evidence suggests, continues Mr Kinmont, that the best results from knee replacements are achieved by experienced surgeons who use a consistent technique and carry out large volume joint replacement surgery regularly in units where regular joint replacements are performed.

“This is a more important factor than the type of implant used,” he says.

The time taken to recover post-surgically may also depend on how diligent you are when it comes to following post-operative advice, such as any physiotherapy exercises you have been given.

Your knee surgeon here at Shirley Oaks Hospital will give you plenty of knee replacement recovery tips after your surgery. Before your knee replacement, you will discover all you need to know about knee replacement recovery time too.

Your consultant will tell you what to do and what not to do after knee surgery, should you opt to go ahead with either a partial or total knee replacement.

Exercises after knee surgery are important for recovery, particularly if you would like to get back to your usual activities, such as sports.

No major surgery is without risks — and while knee replacement is predominantly successful, there are some risk factors for those undergoing the operation.

Risks of knee replacement surgery include symptoms including hot, reddened, hard or painful areas in your legs in the first few weeks after your knee operation. This could simply be bruising from the surgery, but in some instances, it could mean you have deep vein thrombosis (DVT), which is a blood clot in the leg. Speak to your doctor if you have any concerns about post-operative symptoms.

Chest pain and breathlessness, although very rare, could be attributed to a clot in your lung. This is known as pulmonary embolism and urgent treatment will be required.

While the anaesthetics used during your knee replacement are extremely safe, they also come with a small risk of side effects. These include sickness and confusion and both side effects are temporary.

Anaesthetics also come with a risk of serious complications, although these are rare.

Discuss any questions you may have about your personal risks — from the anaesthetic or the surgery itself — with your knee replacement surgeon.

Your anaesthetist and surgeon can answer questions you may have about your personal risks from anaesthetic or the surgery itself.

Other complications include:

• Infection of the wound
• Unexpected bleeding into the knee joint
• Fracture in the bone around the artificial knee joint during or after the surgery
• Excess scar tissue forming and restricting the movement of the knee

According to the National Joint Registry (NJR), around one in 20 patients who have a knee replacement surgery procedure will need further surgery after 12 years. This depends on the type of replacement — total knee replacements tend to last longer than partial knee replacements, for instance.

If you have any more questions about knee replacements — including preparing for the operation and the post-operative period — you can ask our surgeon during your consultation.

You might wonder if you can run after knee replacement, how long after knee replacement can you drive, or even if you can wear heels after knee replacement.

Your knee replacement surgeon can answer all these questions and more, including one of the most-asked questions: how painful is knee replacement surgery?

You may also want to hear more about knee replacement alternatives or see some knee replacement pictures to better understand what the surgery involves.

“There is physiotherapy seven days a week, to optimise recovery and we have a very good short length of stay. However, if patients want to stay a little longer, there is flexibility as an in-patient in their private room.”

How to find us

Shirley Oaks Hospital can be found on Poppy Lane, Shirley Oaks Village, Croydon, Surrey, CR9 8AB. A car park with 100 spaces is available and the hospital is relatively easy to access via public transport.

Ready to request an appointment for a private knee replacement in Croydon? You can do so online, via our handy booking system, or by calling us on 020 8655 5500.

We look forward to welcoming you to Shirley Oaks Hospital.