If the knee’s bones, cartilage and soft tissues are all healthy, we can bend, walk and run smoothly and pain-free. When they aren’t, we need knee surgeons. It has taken decades to develop surgical procedures to treat damaged or diseased joints like the knee, hip, and shoulder. The earliest known attempt to perform a joint replacement was in 1890 when a German physician tried to replace a tuberculous joint with a prosthesis made of ivory. However, it was only in 1968 that joint replacement surgery was finally perfected.
Today, knee replacements, generally referred to by orthopaedic surgeons as knee arthroplasty, have become routine. Worldwide, more than a million are now performed every year. Within the profession, arthroplasty is widely regarded as the most successful intervention in the history of orthopaedics, but only in the hands of an expert.
If your GP has indicated you might benefit from some form of knee surgery, you should know what to look for when choosing your surgeon.
Some Factors to Consider When Choosing Knee Surgeons
All orthopaedic surgeons will have undergone the same basic training, but what occurred afterwards, like their sub-specialism and experience, will influence your decision the most. The following checklist should be a valuable guide to help you make a more informed choice.
- Sub-specialism: You will not get the specialised help you need from a general orthopaedic surgeon. Instead, you want to explore knee surgeons who specialise in treating your specific condition. For example, depending on the surgery you require, you might need to find a soft tissue or arthroplasty specialist.
- Experience: Has the surgeon you are considering performed a high volume of your type of procedure? The surgeon’s age is not necessarily a factor, as some clinics attract more patients than others, thus adding to their residents’ experience.
- Revision rate: A small proportion of procedures, like a knee replacement, will fail, often because patients fail to adhere to post-operative measures proposed by their surgeons. When failures occur, revision surgery is necessary. Try to avoid surgeons with unusually high revision rates.
- Minimally invasive surgery: If your circumstances necessitate a speedy return to full mobility, you need someone experienced in arthroscopy. The procedure avoids fully exposing the joint, limiting the risk of excessive bleeding and infection and significantly speeding recovery. However, you will need to bear in mind that arthroscopic surgery also requires a surgeon with exceptional skill and lots of experience.
- Outcomes: You will want to know if the surgeon you choose has a record of successful outcomes. These are available to the public if they capture the feedback data known as Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMS). Alternatively, word-of-mouth recommendations from patients who have previously undergone your procedure can be invaluable.
Why So Many Patients Trust a Team of Specialist Knee Surgeons in Pretoria
The Wilgers Life Hospital in Pretoria is home to an exceptional orthopaedic unit. Under the leadership of Dr Jan de Vos, a former president of the South African Arthroplasty Society, the centre has a long and enviable record of success, earning it the status of a national and international referral centre.
If you are experiencing chronic knee pain and difficulty walking, contact us to ensure world-class care from expert knee surgeons.
