From regular exercise to eating well, there are many things you can do to protect your joints. Try these tips for healthy knees and maintaining joint health.

One of the largest and most complex joints of the body, the knee is crucial to movement, which means protecting knee joints should be a priority. Our knees make it possible for us to walk, jump, dance, pedal a bicycle, climb steps or ladders, kick balls or tires, squat to sit, or bend to lift a child – all while bearing the weight of our bodies.

The knee is also one of the joints most prone to pain, injury and many forms of arthritis. If we live long enough, most will experience knee problems at some point. But there are ways to minimize the impact of knee problems. Dr. Gaurav Gupta from Jhansi, who is a Knee Pain specialist says “Practicing a healthy lifestyle and good posture can help in preventing the development of age-related arthritis as well as slow down its progression”

Try these tips for healthy knees.

1. Get moving. Your joints were designed for movement. Regular physical activity can help your knees and other joints in relieving pain and stiffness, strengthening the muscles that provide support to the knees, reducing weight gain that puts excess stress on knees, improving balance to decrease your risk of falls and injuries to the knees and other joints.

It’s important to pick exercises that are gentle and safe to decrease your risk of joint injury and to try a combination of activities that promote flexibility and range of motion (such as yoga or exercises prescribed by a physical therapist), muscle strengthening (such as working out with weight machines or resistance bands), or cardiovascular fitness (such as walking, swimming or bicycling). Physical therapy for knee arthritis can help keep your knees functioning at their best.

2. Maintain a healthy weight. If you are overweight, every excess kilogram puts additional stress on your knees that can increase cartilage wear and tear thus leading to pain. many patients Research shows that for people with osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee, losing even a little bit weight can help make a huge difference.

Although it makes sense that excess weight can be harmful to knees — which bear the body’s weight — the weight-joint connection is more complex than just the mechanical forces extra weight put on the knees. Fat itself produces and releases chemicals that promote inflammation. Thus, excess fat is associated not only with OA, but with various forms of arthritis involving inflammation, including rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and gout, all of which can cause joint damage.

Maintaining a healthy weight may be one of the best things you can do for keeping your joints healthy. Dr. Gaurav Gupta, who has his own Orthopedic practice in Jhansi, always advices patient’s with knee pain to keep their weight in check, and in his experience, if a patient with knee pain loses even 3-5 kg excess body weight, their knee pain actually disappears.

3. Protect knees from injury. Injury to an arthritic knee can cause further damage to the joint. Injury to a healthy knee may lead to arthritis down the road.

To protect your knees, avoid activities that involve repetitive pounding such as jogging or high-impact aerobics. If u a play sports that involve pivoting or contact such as basketball or football, a doing a proper warm-up and training is essential to prevent the risk of injury. “Listen to your body — if you experience pain in a joint or joints, rest for a while”, says Dr. Gupta.

To reduce your risk of injury while lifting or carrying something heavy, use your largest, strongest joints and muscles to take stress off smaller hand joints and to spread the load over large surface areas. Hold items close to your body, which is less stressful for your joints. For joint safety, slide objects whenever possible rather than lifting them.

In some cases, wearing a knee brace during certain activities may be helpful in preventing injury, although the evidence to support the use of braces for that purpose is not conclusive. A physical therapist can help you determine if a brace — and, if so, which one — is right for you.

4. Treat injuries promptly. If you do injure a knee or other joint, reduce swelling and promote healing by practicing P.O.L.I.C.E. (PROTECTION, OPTIMAL LOADING, ICE, COMPRESSION AND ELEVATION)

Rest your knees and avoid activities that cause pain.

Place a cold pack or bag or ice wrapped in a towel on the painful knee for 20 minutes at a time several times a day.

Wrap an elastic bandage securely around the injured knee to reduce swelling.

Recline with your leg placed on a pillow to keep your knee elevated above your heart as often as you can.

If your pain is severe, you can’t bend or bear weight on your knee or pain doesn’t improve after a few days, speak with your doctor.

5. Pay attention to pain. If you experience new or worsened pain in a joint or joints, it’s important to speak with your doctor. Pain can be a sign of injury or increased disease activity, both of which may require treatment to prevent further damage to your joint(s). If arthritic knee pain, keeps you from being active, it’s a threat to your joints’ health. For that reason, it’s important to talk to your doctor and find pain treatments that work for you. Dr. Gaurav Gupta, points out that patients with knee pain who consult him at the right time, and start with conservative treatments like medications, nutritional supplements, hot and cold therapy, exercises and choose healthy lifestyle may never need knee surgery. So, do not neglect any persistent joint pain.

6. Avoid Smoking. If you smoke, add joint health to yet another reason to quit. For almost two decades’ research has connected smoking with more severe pain and joint damage in both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

7. Eat a healthy diet. A diet rich in fruits, vegetables, fish, nuts and beans and low in processed foods and saturated fats can not only reduce your risk of cardiovascular and other diseases of aging, but it may also promote healthy joints. Also, minimize your consumption of carbonated soft drinks, coffee and alcohol, which can increase excretion of calcium from the body and affect your bone health.

8. Practice good posture. Over time, bad posture can place abnormal stresses on your joints, leading to excess cartilage wear and damage. Consistently practicing good posture decreases those stresses by allowing your muscles to work more effectively to support the joints. To practice good posture, stand with up straight with your shoulders back, head level and in line with your body, abdomen tucked in and feet shoulder-width apart. When sitting, keep your back against the back of the chair, your feet flat on the floor, a small space between the backs of your knees and the chair, and your knees at the same height or slightly lower than your hips. A physical therapist can teach you exercises to improve your posture. A physical or occupational therapist can also help you arrange your workspace to improve posture and relieve joint stress on the job.

9. Take care in selecting footwear. Dr. Gupta says, “The wrong shoes can not only hurt the joints in your feet, but they can also throw off your posture and affect joints all the way up your body”. High heels, for example, put extra stress on your knees and may increase your risk of developing osteoarthritis. For your joints’ sake, choose shoes with a low or no heel. Look for flexible, supportive shoes with a square or rounded toe that allows your toes to move around. Look for shoes that are well cushioned and flexible at the ball of the foot, where you push off, but supportive enough that you cannot bend it in half from heel to toe. For foot or knee pain consider a shoe insert or orthotic support. A physical therapist can recommend the best one for you.

10. Be good to your bones. Your joints can’t be healthy if the bones that join to form them aren’t. Many of the habits you practice to help your joints — regular exercise, a healthy diet — are also essential for strong bones. For bone health, ensure that your diet is high in calcium and vitamin D (naturally available in tuna, salmon, swordfish, egg yolks as well as in fortified milk, juices and cereals). If you aren’t sure you’re getting enough, speak with your doctor about supplements.

Visit us on www.docgauravgupta.com/ www.joh.co.in

There are a lot of important aspects when it comes to recovery after surgery, especially a major one such as hip replacement How should you prepare? What challenges should you expect? Will you need a caregiver?

All of this takes careful planning among your healthcare team, you and your family members. Joint Replacement surgeon Dr Gaurav Gupta from Jhansi, an expert in robotic joint replacements, answers some common questions and shares tips about hip replacement recovery and rehabilitation.

When can I go home after a hip replacement?

“Most patients can start walking and can go home a few days after the surgery,” says Dr Gaurav Gupta from Jhansi. Most people don’t need bed rest. In fact, moving your new joint helps in faster recovery.

If you have a pre-existing medical condition (a heart or lung condition that needs monitoring), or people who have had complex surgeries or lack support at home may have to be in bed for longer.

Will I need to use a walker at first?

Your healthcare team, which includes your surgeon, physiotherapists and primary care doctor, will evaluate the need for any assistive devices. To reduce falls, you might need a cane or a walker if you feel unbalanced walking on your own, but it’s generally not necessary to use them.

When will my hip incision heal?

“The incisions for a hip replacement surgery nowadays are very small” explains Dr Gaurav Gupta. The incision is covered with a dressing and takes about six weeks to heal. During this time, to reduce the risk of infection, bathing should be put off until the wound fully heals, say about two weeks.

How soon does rehabilitation start after the hip surgery?

“Patients will have physical therapy before the hip replacement surgery, and then work with a physical therapist right after the surgery to reinforce exercises before they go home,” says Dr Gaurav Gupta, Joint Replacement Surgeon. Rehabilitation will continue a few days after the surgery, with some home exercises.

Rehabilitation begins with getting used to regular movements and practicing daily activities, like getting out of bed or a chair, and progresses to practicing more difficult tasks, such as climbing stairs and getting in or out of the car.

Muscle strength plays a big role in being able to perform these and other tasks. This is why resistance training of hip muscles and knee muscles in the legs is a major component of rehabilitation.

Hip and Knee Replacement at Jhansi Orthopaedic Hospital

The JOH Hip and Knee Replacement program features a team of orthopaedic specialists highly skilled in joint replacement procedures. Our team at Jhansi will guide you through every step, from pre-surgical education to postsurgical care and physical therapy. Our goal is to return you to your desired level of activity as soon as possible.

What is considered a “normal” amount of pain after a hip replacement surgery?

Some swelling and initial pain at the joint are normal after hip replacement. To help reduce pain:

Take time to rest between therapy sessions. Ice the leg and the incision site.

Take anti-inflammatory medications, after consulting with your doctor, to help with these symptoms.

“Keeping the leg elevated above the heart when you lay down can also help the swelling to recede,” advises Dr Gaurav Gupta

It’s important to pay attention to your pain levels. If you feel like you are consistently at a 6 or more on a 1-10 pain scale, mention it to your doctor, because it could be a sign of infection or another complication. As you continue physical therapy, your pain levels should slowly decrease to about 1 or 2 in 12 weeks after the hip replacement.

How long does it take to recover after a hip replacement?

“On average, hip replacement recovery can take around two to four weeks, but everyone is different,” says Dr Gaurav Gupta. It depends on a few factors, including how active you were before your surgery, your age, nutrition, preexisting conditions, and other health and lifestyle factors.

“Achieving a certain level of activity before you have the surgery can help you bounce back more quickly,” shares Dr Gupta. “We use a regimen called prerehabilitation, or prehab, to help patients get in a physical shape that will set them up for a successful recovery.”

How soon can I return to regular activities after a hip replacement?

The goal of physical therapy is to get you back to your normal life, whether it’s going to work, playing with kids, or engaging in your favorite sport or hobby. Depending on the amount of physical activity a task requires, the amount of time it will take to be able to perform that task differs.

Driving. If you had surgery on your right hip, it may take up to a month to be able to drive safely again. If it was your left hip, then you might be back in the driver’s seat in one or two weeks. Start in a parking lot and slowly move to rural roads, working your way up to the highway. Taking medications that may impair your coordination, such as opioids, might delay how soon you can go back to driving.

Work. If you have a desk job with minimal activity, you can return to work in about two weeks. If your job requires heavy lifting or is otherwise tough on the hips, it is recommended to take off about six weeks to recover.

Sports. You should wait about six weeks to get back in the game. Before getting into a pool, you should also wait about six weeks until the incision completely heals.

Sexual Activity. You can return to sexual activity whenever you feel comfortable.

What could slow down my recovery?

“As with any surgery, there is some risk of complications during and after a hip replacement, which may include infection at the incision site, bone fractures and hip dislocations,” explains Dr Gaurav Gupta. If you notice a fever, drainage from the incision site, difficulty moving your hip or severe pain that is not relieved by your medication, contact your doctor immediately.

Taking rehabilitation at a comfortable pace and avoiding sudden, sharp movements can help prevent dislocations and falls that may delay the recovery.

How long will my hip replacement implant last?

Unlike older implants that were metal, modern hip prosthetics are made of a combination of metal, plastic and ceramic parts, so they are more durable and cause fewer issues. These implants can last 20 to 30 years, and the risk of failure and the need for repeat surgeries is low.

How long after replacing one hip should I wait to replace the other?

“If you suffer from severe arthritis in both hips, you could get both joints replaced at the same time (double hip replacement). This might actually be safer and lead to quicker recovery in some patients,” says Dr Gaurav Gupta from Jhansi Orthopaedic Hospital.

Recovery is actually shorter but may require double the effort, because you would need to strengthen both legs at the same time. It may also be more challenging to get around the house initially, so you might need more support at home.

If you want to have two separate hip replacement surgeries, it is best to wait at least six weeks between the replacements to lower the risk of blood clots.

Visit us on www.docgauravgupta.com, www.joh.co.in