Hip 3D technology isn’t just for movies, it can be used to provide knee pain relief through total replacement surgery, too. The new surgery option using Shapematch 3D technology is reducing knee replacement surgery recovery times, and it doesn’t require cutting any muscles in the knee to perform.
Shapematch knee replacement
Surgery recovery times aren’t the only benefit of using the new Shapematch technology for knee replacement procedures. Using 3D MRI images, physicians are able to get a complete look of the patient’s knee without cutting anything. A custom knee joint is made based upon these images, which are used to ensure precise joint placement.
The 3D imagery provides a complete and total picture of the inside of the knee that simply wasn’t available in the past, ensuring more preciseness in knee replacement procedures and perfect knee sizing when the new joint is created. Knees that have been replaced through standard surgeries last about 20 years, to the tune of 85%. But when the new joint is perfectly sized and placed, it will last even longer — potentially a lifetime, say some physicians.
Traditional knee replacement surgery recovery takes many, many weeks in most patients. The average patient begins walking unaided after 4 to 6 weeks following a traditional knee replacement procedure. But with the new procedures being dong with Shapematch technology, recovery times have been shortened to 4 weeks in some patients. Some patients are able to walk unaided following the knee surgery after just 2 weeks.
Only about one dozen physicians in the United States are currently using Shapematch technology in knee replacement surgeries, but many more may be adopting the technique soon. The need for knee replacement surgery is expected to increase from half a million this year to 3.5 million by the year 2030.
Alternatives to surgery
Improvements and advancements to knee replacement surgery are being invented all the time, but surgery isn’t always your only option. There are many different ways to get knee pain relief which can be used instead of, or along with, knee replacement procedures. Water therapy, vibration therapy and other physical therapy procedures help to strengthen knee muscles, improve flexibility and prevent joint pain. Good physical therapy can also lessen knee replacement surgery recovery time.
Over-the-counter supplements provide knee pain relief both before and after surgery, and in some instances may be used in place of prescription painkillers. Supplements that help reduce swelling and inflammation can be very successful with helping sufferers manage their knee pain.
http://www.vibrantnation.com/health-fitness/knee-replacement/use-3d-technology-to-get-knee-pain-relief/