If an older loved one needs total knee replacement because of osteoarthritis, there is a stronger chance of a hip or vertebral fracture in the decade following the surgery than there was beforehand. A recent study out of Sweden shows that the risk of a hip fracture goes up by about 4 percent when compared to the general population that had not had a knee replacement surgery. The risk for a vertebral fracture goes up by 19 percent.
This recent study looked at the population between the years 1987 and 2002, looking at thousands of different people’s profiles during that time. The majority of the people looked at were senior citizens, all of them being born between 1902 and 1952. These results might seem surprising, especially because total knee replacement surgery is designed to help people walk around with more ease and less pain. However, because this may have instilled a false sense of confidence in many, especially those suffering from osteoporosis or suffering from advanced muscle atrophy, the risk of injury actually went up.
Anytime that an elderly family member begins to have trouble getting around, precautions need to be taken to ensure their safety. Most families are not able to do this as well as possible, and that means that other measures need to be taken. One of the easiest and most affordable ways to make sure that your loved one can get around safely within their home is by finding a trustworthy and fully trained professional in-home caregiver. When a caregiver has the proper training, they are able to help your loved one get through their house far more easily and safely, reducing the risk of a fracture-inducing fall. This doesn’t need to take place after a knee replacement to be helpful to our older loved ones, either. But knowing that this population does seem to have a higher degree of risk is good knowledge to have and could prevent a painful fall or a permanent disability as a result of that fall.
Many times, when a senior has broken a hip, they are confined to a wheelchair for the rest of their lives. Oftentimes, they find themselves in a nursing home. No one wants to see a loved one in this situation, so taking preventative steps to make sure that they are not injured to begin with is the easiest and least painful way to go about keeping them safe. Because we now know that a false confidence can increase injuries, we can also take precautionary steps in other areas, too. Many family members don’t think about these things until it’s too late to do anything about them. You don’t want to fall into that category. Whether or not to have a knee replacement is a decision you will ever need to help a family member make or not, it’s important to know what risks they face, and how you can keep them safe. Supervision and preparation are two of the best ways to ensure that needless injuries do not occur.
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