Knee-replacement surgery can dramatically lessen pain and return you to the activities you love, but it’s not the answer for everyone.
A power drill whirs noisily—shavings curl from the bit as it bores a precise hole. Cement oozes from a caulking gun to join two surfaces. A hammer whacks repeatedly on metal. Behind the workers, a busy crew shares measurements and part sizes.
It's the sounds of renovation, but it's not a new kitchen. In a hospital in Philadelphia, a medical team led by orthopaedic surgeon Dr Matthew Austin is replacing a knee joint. It's his fifth surgery of the day.
Three hours after surgery wraps up, Ralph Gabriel, then 69, the construction-business owner upon whom those tools whirred and banged, is awake and joking with his family. He didn't want surgery. But years of tile installation had destroyed his right knee, creating constant pain. ''You have to have the will to get it done," Gabriel says.
Lessening The Pain The human knee is particularly vulnerable to wear. Every step, every jump, every crossing of the legs, puts stress on the joint. When you combine the active lifestyle of the over-50 population and longer life spans, it's no wonder that an increasing number of people are experiencing knee pain. There are many short-term remedies, such as weight loss, physical therapy, injections and supplements, but for a perpetually painful or arthritic knee, the go-to solution is to replace it.
Put simply, an artificial knee works as a multidirectional hinge that connects the bottom of your femur (the upper leg bone) to the tibia (the shinbone). To install it, surgeons remove damaged cartilage and bone and connect the artificial knee to your bones. The surgery takes about an hour and is done with the patient under local or general anesthesia.
Denne historien er fra Reader's Digest September 2019-utgaven av Reader's Digest UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra Reader's Digest September 2019-utgaven av Reader's Digest UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
EVERY SECOND COUNTS: TIPS TO WIN THE RACE AGAINST TIME
Do you want to save 1.5 seconds every day of your life? According to the dishwasher expert at the consumer organisation Choice, there’s no need to insert the dishwashing tablet into the compartment inside the door.
May Fiction
An escaped slave's perspective renews Huckleberry Finn and the seconds tick down to nuclear Armageddon in Miriam Sallon’s top literary picks this month
Wine Not
In a time of warning studies about alcohol consumption, Paola Westbeek looks at non-alcoholic wines, how they taste and if they pair with food
Train Booking Hacks
With the cost of train travel seemingly always rising, Andy Webb gives some tips to save on ticket prices
JOURNEY TO SALTEN, NORWAY, UNDER THE MIDNIGHT SUN
Here, far from the crowds, in opal clarity, from May to September, the sun knows no rest. As soon as it’s about to set, it rises again
My Britain: Cheltenham
A YEAR IN CHELTENHAM sees a jazz festival, a science festival, a classical music festival and a literature festival. Few towns with 120,000 residents can boast such a huge cultural output!
GET A GREEN(ER) THUMB
Whether you love digging in the dirt, planting seeds and reaping the bounty that bursts forth, or find the whole idea of gardening intimidating, this spring offers the promise of a fresh start.
Under The GRANDFLUENCE Suzi Grant
After working in TV and radio as an author and nutritionist, Suzi Grant started a blog alternativeageing.net) and an Instagram account alternativeageing). She talks to Ian Chaddock about positive ageing”
Sam Quek: If I Ruled The World
Sam Quek MBE is an Olympic gold medalwinning hockey player, team captain on A Question of Sport and host of podcast series Amazing Starts Here
Stand Tall, Ladies
Shorter men may be having their moment, but where are the tall women?