Total Knee Replacement Assessment Answer

Cryotherapy (use of cold utilities, ice bags or cooled water) promotes vasoconstriction, and reduces the tissue trauma after surgery thereby it minimizes the extent of tissue trauma after knee surgery (Adie et al., 2009). However researchers opined that the use of ice alone show swelling due cold induced ischemic damage to blood vessels and recommending using simultaneously the application of cold and compression (Kullenberg et al., 2006). Cryotherapy offers pain suppression similar to that of PCA (Holmstrom, & Hardin, 2005), so the administration of morphine can be avoided. From the evidences, it can be understood that the cold alone not suffices to improve the range of motion. Both cold and compression appears to be showing an improvement of range of motion (Markert, 2011). Despite the overwhelming success of TKR, functional improvement after surgery varies widely. Poor functional results have been associated with poor emotional health, such as anxiety, depression, poor coping skills, and poor social support (Ayers et al., 2005). The patients who are at risk of having less functional improvement after orthopaedic surgery can be identified preoperatively. Accordingly, support would be extended to increase the level of confidence so that the patients with TKR are recovered easily. The heath care team of clinicians, physical therapists, behavioral psychologists, and other support professionals involves in providing the emotional support. The rehabilitation, with an accentuation on physiotherapy and exercise, is broadly promoted mode of intervention after TKR with varying content and duration. According to the randomized controlled trail, the physical exercise or physiotherapy had showed an improvement in physical function (Evgeniadis et al., 2008). It indicates that the physiotherapy exercise influences the recovery and mobility of the patients. In case of exercise as the intervention, it is desired to know content and duration of physiotherapy exercise for the improvement of short and long-term outcomes. In conclusion, diverse modes of interventions are available for the recovery and suppression of pain after TKR.