There are many reasons why people may have knee assessment for knee replacement. Arthritis is the most frequent cause, but there are others, such as genetic diseases or other injuries. No matter the reason, if you need a new knee and cannot continue living your life like before, you should think about getting one.
That said, knee replacements are very intense procedures and are not for everyone. There are many factors to consider before making this decision. Let’s take a look at how you can conduct a knee assessment.
1. What is a Knee Assessment?
A knee assessment is a process of finding out why you need a new knee, your activity level, your health condition, your work, and whether or not you can tolerate the pain and live with it.
A knee assessment is the first thing a doctor will do before suggesting a knee replacement. The doctor will examine the knee and talk to you about your pain and limitations. They will also measure your range of motion and examine your medical history.
“I wanted to go through one of the self-assessments you need to do if you are recovering from a knee replacement. This is also a good self-assessment if you have a different knee injury.”
You can do this sitting on the floor, on the couch, or on your bed. Still, you want to find out what your knee extension is, which is the straightening out of the knee or terminal knee extension, because getting as much of that terminal knee extension as you can assist a lot when it comes to recovering from a knee replacement and allows you to get back to the rest of your life and back to being pain-free.
This is what you need to do. You will end up sitting down, and you will end up measuring how much you can straighten out that knee.
You might be just a fist or a little more than a fist or a whole fist or a hand, but you want to find that baseline distance that you are because it will give you an idea of where you are starting at and how the Knee Replacement Handbook is helping you get that terminal knee extension.
Do that right now. Go through that and find out what you can get to, where you get resistance or just before pain. Find out where you are now.
You can measure it with a fist, a hand, a ball, or a ruler so that you get a baseline and see how that Knee Replacement Handbook ends up helping you improve that terminal knee extension and get back to pain-free living.”
2. Conclusion
When you get a knee replacement, you need to consider many factors. You need to know what is a knee assessment, know your weight and BMI, and decide if you want to be a candidate for knee replacement.
You also need to be informed of the recovery process and the risks. When you know all this information, you are more prepared for the surgery and can make the right decision.
Rick Kaselj, MS