Why do More Women End up Needing Knee Replacement Surgery than Men?

Author: Ishita Banerjee

Most medical conditions and your body's response to them are not affected by your gender. However, women are more likely to end up getting total knee replacement surgery than men. Surprisingly, this information is backed up by scientific research. Ask any knee specialist in Mulund and they will tell you how women are more likely to get a total knee replacement surgery than men.

The most common reason why people need total knee replacement surgery is osteoarthritis. Arthritis occurs when the cartilage in your knee joint wears down. Research says that the condition is likely to affect women at higher rates than men. In fact, women are 3.5 times more likely to develop knee arthritis than men due to the following reasons:

  • Joint laxity
  • Menopausal factors
  • A different knee anatomy
  • Traumatic experience
  • Higher level of physical activity

Even though these factors play a pivotal role in your chances of getting knee arthritis, it is your genetics that matter the most. Women tend to move a lot. Regular movements can put pressure on your knees, especially if you are overweight. The more you move, the higher you are prone to osteoarthritis.

Knee Replacement: How to Treat Your Knee Pain?

Knee replacement is a medically invasive procedure that involves the complete removal of your knee joint. These damaged joints are then replaced by artificial implants. Although the surgery is invasive, science has made great progress in this field. Now, patients don’t need more than a day in the hospital.

Surgery seems like the only viable option for people experiencing severe joint pain. However, that doesn’t mean you don’t have any non-surgical options. Medications, bracing, and weight loss are a few non-surgical and less-invasive procedures to recover from osteoarthritis. Although they may work for some, these are often not adequate in treating osteoarthritis. If your condition has worsened to a point where the pain feels unbearable, you may need a complete knee removal surgery. That’s the only way to restore your mobility and relieve pain.

Once the surgery has been performed, the tissues surrounding the knee joint might take some time to heal before you can walk, run, and move like usual. The artificial joint may take a year to function properly.

How to Know if You Need Knee Replacement?

Even though women are more prone to osteoarthritis than men, they tend to wait longer to get the issue checked. As a result, the condition of their knees gets worse with time. Surprisingly, women patients are likely to have a smooth recovery after the surgery. Note that your recovery from osteoarthritis depends on how you prepare for the surgery and the measures you take after surgery. While deciding whether or not you should get a total knee replacement, ask yourself about your quality of life after the surgery. If you have lost your mobility completely, surgical removal of the knee joint might be your best option. Discuss your goals with a surgeon and get knee replacement surgery in Thane, India.