Minimally invasive knee replacement is a fairly recent development in knee surgery. It advances the performance of this type of surgery by greatly reducing trauma and recovery time. However, as a surgical procedure, it is much more challenging than traditional methods.

Minimally invasive knee surgery reduces trauma by using smaller incisions that expose the joint less. In fact, the incision used in this type of surgery are 50% smaller than those used in traditional total knee replacement surgery. Because of this, the recipient of minimally invasive knee surgery can expect reduced pain, a brief hospital stay, and a speedy rehabilitation period.

Patients who are not overweight, are relatively active with a fair amount of ROM (range of motion), and have no strong deformity of the knee(s) do well with this technique. They can enjoy a brief stay in the hospital of no more than 3 days. Inpatient rehabilitation will be speedy or nonexistent.

In general, these are the accepted findings. It is worth noting that these findings are not entirely consistent. Some studies show dramatic reduction of pain, hospital stay, and rehabilitation. Others show that these aspects of recovery are quite similar to those experienced with standard knee replacement surgery.

Additionally, the risks of this method of surgery have not truly been documented; however, there is no reason to believe that they are substantially different from those associated with any knee surgery. This is a topic you will want to discuss with your orthopedic surgeon.

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Your Hospital Stay

After your surgery, you will probably have a brief stay in the hospital. You may be experiencing a bit of pain after surgery, but you will be given medications to manage it.

Arrange pain management in advance of your surgery. It is an important aspect of your recovery plan. Also, realize that exercise and movement are a very important part of your recovery. These will begin almost immediately after your surgical procedure.

After any surgery, it is important to keep your lungs clear. Breathe deeply and cough from time to time to avoid lung congestion.

After knee surgery, clotting in the leg veins may be a problem. This is typically treated with a variety of measures, including support hose, compression boots, elevating the legs, and using medications to thin the blood. Your orthopedic surgeon will prescribe the method or methods that will be most useful to you.

Additionally, you may use an exercise machine called a continuous passive motion (CPM) machine. This machine keeps your leg in constant gentle motion while you are at rest. It also keeps your leg elevated. The combination of motion and elevation increases flexibility of the knee while reducing the risk of clotting.

Dr. Tarlow is a Board Certified Orthopaedic Surgeon with over 20 years specializing in knee surgery. He opened his own clinic, Advanced Knee Care, with a focus on specialty patient care. Click here to learn more about Dr. Tarlow, arthroscopic surgeon and torn ACL surgery.

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