As you get older, the cartilage around your bones may wear down, causing joints to rub the bones together. This can be a very painful experience and can cause you to severely limit your activity as a result. When you become less active, your general health declines, so it's important to handle these issues in a timely manner. When it comes to joint replacement like knee replacement, you may not even be walking because it's so painful. If you are considering minimally invasive knee surgery as a form of joint replacement, you'll be happy to learn about some of things you can expect from this procedure. Recent strides in medicine and technology have severely reduced the recovery time as well as the scarring.

Smaller Tools Mean Smaller Incisions

In the past, surgeons had to make a large incision in the front of the knee in order to gain access to the knee cap and leg bones. Today, they use a small camera along with small tools to do the work so they have an even better view of the internal workings of the knee without having to make a large incision to do so. Because there is a smaller incision, there is also a smaller chance of infection and a much smaller scar.

Fewer Cuts Have to be Made

Again, because of the camera and smaller tools with intricate cutting and moving abilities, the surgeon doesn't always have to make cuts just to see what is behind the muscle or ligaments. They can now move the camera around this tissue so that they can see what is behind it without actually cutting it. This gives them full visual access so they can do the same job and sometimes see even more than they would if they were looking with the naked eye alone.

Recovery Time is Shortened

Because the cuts are smaller and fewer things are being cut, it takes less time to heal than it once did. In fact, you may undergo this surgery and be on your feet within days afterward, rather than waiting weeks for the tissues to heal. The faster you get on your feet, the more you can get the blood flowing. This means a faster recovery time with less chance of muscle loss due to inactivity.

Any kind of surgery can cause you to worry. However, knowing that a joint replacement can be minimally invasive with a fast recovery time may help relieve some of your stress as you understand that your down time doesn't have to be as extensive or risky as it once was. Consult your doctor, one like Richmond Orthopedic Associate Inc, for a recovery time estimate.

     

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