How long does an artificial knee joint last?

I have had knee osteoarthritis for many years, recently it got worse, the doctor recommended knee replacement.

Can artificial joints be used for life or after how long do they have to be replaced? (Nguyen Tai, 58 years old, Tien Giang)

Reply:

Knee replacement surgery is often indicated for cases of severe damage to the knee joint due to osteoarthritis, deformities of the knee joint after trauma or other causes. With this surgery, the doctor removes the damaged bone ends and reconstructs them with artificial materials to protect and prevent the bone ends from rubbing directly against each other when moving, minimizing pain for the patient, and correcting deformities of the joint and limb axis.

Artificial knee joints cannot be used for life, usually have an average lifespan of 15-20 years. However, the lifespan can vary depending on the patient's level of mobility. For people with low mobility needs such as the elderly, if they live in the right posture, have regular health check-ups... the lifespan of the knee joint can be longer. On the contrary, for young people who need to move around and play sports a lot, the artificial knee joint will wear out quickly, reducing the lifespan of the joint. Therefore, people with this disease may have to have their knee replaced a second time after less than 15 years of use.

To protect the artificial knee joint, after surgery, the patient needs to follow the doctor's instructions in physical therapy exercises and supplement adequate nutrition. In daily activities, avoid squatting, bending the knee more than 120 degrees... Although not painful, these positions make the plastic cushion deteriorate faster, reducing the life of the joint. The patient needs to see a doctor for regular check-ups or immediately when detecting abnormalities in the knee joint.

Master, Doctor, Specialist I Phan Thanh Tan
Orthopedic Trauma Center
Tam Anh General Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City

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