Does Recovery Time For Knee Replacement Surgery Take Longer Than You Think?
You read the title correctly: it is possible that the recovery time for knee replacement surgery could be much longer than you had expected. That may seem implausible to some, but the reality of the situation is that many underestimate the total recovery time for knee replacement surgeries over the course of their lifetimes. And yes, you also read that correctly- surgeries. This may come as a surprise, but an individual’s first knee replacement surgery usually isn’t the last that they’ll have.
So what does this mean? Well, it means that someone can have multiple recovery times. Add those periods of recovery together, and an individual could technically rack up years of hospital time, downtime, trips to the doctor, physical therapy, and everything else that comes along with having knee replacement surgery.
Let’s break it down a little further- first and foremost, the hospital stay of the initial knee replacement surgery lasts from 7-14 days. Next up follows an average of 6 months of bedrest, physical therapy, changing bandages and compression socks, visits to the doctor, etc.- essentially sacrificing your precious time for half a year (and sometimes longer) of recovery. Even at that, that’s just assuming that there aren’t any surgical complications such as infections (which could technically make the recovery process over a year long, should surgical intervention be needed again). Oh, and by the way, you’ll probably have to get the surgery again anywhere between 5-15 years after the first replacement depending on your age and personal factors.
Adding all of this up together, that means that if you have your knee replaced at 45 years old and live until you’re 90, you could technically dedicate 3 years of your life to surgical and post-surgical treatments on your knee...and that’s just for one knee. So in actuality, recovery time for knee replacement surgery could take far longer than expected.
As we’ve mentioned before, the initial post-procedure recovery time for knee replacement surgery averages about 7-14 days in the hospital. While this may not seem like a long time, let’s apply this to the aforementioned scenario above. If you have 5 knee surgeries in your lifetime, that means that you could spend up to 2 months in the hospital. This of course is all dependent on factors such as age and severity, but life can sometimes throw a wrench in your recovery plans. This is especially true in terms of getting an infection while in the hospital.
Hospitals do have infection rates which can cause fairly problematic post-surgical issues. Implant infections are difficult to diagnose and treat, and can be incredibly costly. Although OrthoInfo says that “only” 1 in 100 knee replacement patients will develop an infection, consider the fact that over 700,000 people get knee replacement surgery. That means that over 7,000 people will develop an infection. Also, consider that to be a low-balled estimate. For example, one study found that out of 476 knees that had received knee replacement surgery, 91 had to be treated for infection and 385 “were revised for aseptic failure”. Because the infection rate is probably higher than previously estimated, one can’t count out the possibility that they will a) develop an infection, b) have to receive multiple surgeries in a short period of time, and c) have to extend hospital stay as well as recovery time for knee replacement surgery.
The aftercare regime that follows a knee replacement averages out to be about 6 months. Again, if we take our scenario from above, that means that someone could spend 2.5 years of their lifetime dedicated to post-surgical aftercare. How? If someone receives 5 knee surgeries in their lifetime from age 45 to 90 years old (2 replacements per knee, 1 needing surgical care due to infection), that means they could spend around 30 months of their life resting, changing bandages and compression sleeves, icing, and having to perform hour-long strength training exercises which are usually done in the mornings, afternoons, and evenings.
Add up all of this recovery time for knee replacement surgery and the number is close to 3 years. Although this may seem like a small number, it’s 3 years you will never get back. That number isn’t even including the continued physical therapy that will have to ensue between surgeries. Consider an alternative…Autologous Regenerative PRP Stem Cell Therapy.
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Regeneris Medical’s autologous PRP Stem Cell Therapy has a total recovery time of only 2 weeks. That’s it. Regenerative PRP Stem Cell Therapy for knees is a safe, minimally invasive procedure with an incredibly minimal infection rate that won’t leave you bedridden for months. Regeneris Medical will help you utilize your body’s own healing powers so that you can get back to living your life without wasting any time. Your life is precious- don’t waste any time. Contact Regeneris Medical today for more information by calling 1-855-734-3678 or sending an e-mail to [email protected]