Reasons Why Knee Nerve Rhizotomy Is Better Than Knee Replacement for Some People

Any patient who sustains a significant impairment and is unresponsive to alternative conservative therapies may have knee replacement surgery. Although there is no valid age restriction for knee arthroplasty, the average patient age for this procedure is 65. Significantly, knee nerve rhizotomy may relieve chronic knee pain, and it’s a better option than surgery for some people. Generally speaking, doctors consider knee surgery the last resource.

• In general, the artificial joint lasts 15 to 20 years, after which patients may need a new surgical intervention.
• Arthroplasty recovery time takes from 8 to 24 weeks.
• The patient may return to work after 14 days.
• Some medical conditions are total contraindications for knee surgery.
• Major surgical interventions expose to important risks and complications.
• Neuropathy knee pain or pain produced by nerve damage may be a contraindication for knee surgery.
• The optimal age for total knee arthroplasty is 70 years.

Genicular nerve ablation is an effective and long-term chronic pain relief treatment. In particular, those who don’t qualify for knee surgery, wish to avoid surgery, or experience severe pain after arthroplasty. Remarkably, most patients can retake their life pace, including driving, walking, and working two days after the procedure. To explain, the needle-size incisions cause minimal tissue inflammation, facilitating the patient’s recovery.

Knee Nerve Rhizotomy Has a Shorter Recovery Time than Arthroplasty

The minimally invasive knee nerve rhizotomy procedure doesn’t cause any damage to the neighboring muscles, ligaments, or other tissues. In detail, the ablation procedure takes 20 to 40 minutes. Most patients are discharged from the hospital in less than eight hours and can return to work in 24 to 48 hours.

People with Peripheric Artery Disease or Severe Vascular Dysfunction Can Safely Undergo Knee Nerve Rhizotomy

Patients with significant vascular dysfunction can safely relieve severe knee pain with knee nerve rhizotomy. Additionally, genicular nerve ablation is safe for those with peripheral artery disease. The approach and equipment employed ensure that the anticipated bleeding during a knee nerve rhizotomy is minimal. To be clear, you could have slight bleeding at the location of the rhizotomy that could result in a tiny amount of bruising. It is quite improbable that you will require blood transfusions or that your circulatory blood volume will be compromised. It’s crucial to understand that any minor bleeding during the treatment has no bearing on the body’s circulation.

Knee nerve rhizotomy is a treatment option for the majority of patients with heart and lung problems. The ability to execute knee nerve rhizotomy under local anesthetic broadens the operation selection criteria. To be clear, a local anesthetic can be used to perform knee nerve ablations on some individuals who cannot tolerate general anesthetic without endangering their health. Additionally, the procedure’s brief duration reduces some of the possible side effects of general anesthesia.

The safety profile and the rapid recovery time of the knee nerve rhizotomy allow people to undergo this procedure as frequently as needed. Indeed, to enhance the effects of this pain treatment, patients may have a second genicular nerve ablation after six months or even six weeks afterward. Nevertheless, rhizotomy effectiveness lasts from 6 to 36 months. Thus, people can receive a genicular rhizotomy once or twice a year for an undetermined period. Young patients with severe chronic knee pain can receive the rhizotomy treatment up to their senior’ years.

Of course, patients can have realistic expectations about the knee nerve rhizotomy’s ability to relieve their chronic knee pain. As an illustration, before the nerve ablation, pain doctors can block the patient’s genicular nerve. To clarify, patients should anticipate rhizotomy to provide pain alleviation comparable to that experienced with a genicular nerve block. Therefore, rhizotomy is one of the few medical procedures that can let the patient try out the anticipated benefit before having it done.

The convenience and effectiveness of knee nerve rhizotomy must be determined in individual basics. Although rhizotomy is better than knee replacement surgery for some patients, nerve ablation does not guarantee to be effective for everyone. A few individuals cannot improve at all following the ablation procedure.

To learn if rhizotomy can help you recover your lifestyle and leg movement, contact our professional team of specialists at OmniSpine Pain Management or book online to schedule an appointment. Our pain management team will provide you with the comprehensive support you need to tackle your medical issues safely and effectively. You can visit us at our clinics located in Frisco, TX, Sunnyvale, TX, and Mesquite, TX. We serve patients from Dallas TX, Frisco TX, Mesquite TX, Sunnyvale TX, Plano TX, Garland TX, Forney TX, Cedar Hill TX, Denton TX, Balch Springs TX, and surrounding areas.