48 THE QUEENS COURIER • SENIOR LIVING • JULY 12, 2018 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
senior living
Helping you understand total knee replacement
Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA), oft en
referred to as knee replacement surgery,
can sound like an intimidating and worrisome
procedure, especially for those
who aren’t familiar with advances in knee
replacement implants.
Knee replacement surgery is a viable
option because it can help alleviate pain
and improve mobility by replacing damaged
bone. Many patients discover they
are able to get their mobility back aft er
surgery and return to doing the things
they love.
According to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, about 43.5%
of adults with doctor-diagnosed arthritis
have limitations in their usual activities
due to their arthritis. Osteoarthritis
is the most common form of arthritis.
Knee replacement surgery is a common
approach to treating osteoarthritis of the
knee - a disease where cartilage covering
the bones wears down over time, leaving
them to rub against each other and causing
pain and reduced motion.
Even though TKA is a common procedure
performed more than 600,000 times
each year in the U.S. alone, many have
misconceptions about knee replacement
surgery. Two of the most common fears
people express are how painful the procedure
and recovery will be, and whether
they will regain their mobility aft erward.
In part, advancements in knee replacement
implants such as the ATTUNE®
Knee from DePuy Synthes can help alleviate
some of these concerns. Because it
was designed to work in harmony with a
patient’s knee muscles and ligaments, the
ATTUNE Knee can help increase stability
and reduce pain, thereby helping patients
get back to living life and pursuing passions
sooner.
“I’ve been using the ATTUNE Knee
in my practice for about three years,”
said Dr. Sarkis Bedikian, orthopaedic surgeon,
MidAmerica Orthopaedics. “With
the improvements in technology that the
ATTUNE Knee delivers, my patients have
had less pain and swelling aft er surgery,
allowing them to recover quicker so they
can get back to life quicker.”
Just as important as the choice of
implant, is a focused rehabilitation protocol.
“I tell my patients to expect pain aft er
surgery. Th ey know that they need to listen
to their physical therapist and work
hard at rehab,” said Dr. Bedikian. “Th e
benefi t I have seen with the ATTUNE
Knee is that the rehab activities that used
to take my patients three months, now
take about six weeks.”
In fact, in a clinical study, physical therapists
noted that ATTUNE Knee patients
had signifi cantly greater range of motion
than other knee replacement patients,
both at two and six weeks post-surgery5.
“Before surgery simple tasks like sleeping,
visiting friends, and even using the
restroom are diffi cult and signifi cantly
impact quality of life,” said Dr. Bedikian.
“Aft er surgery, it’s rewarding when my
patients tell me they are happy and are
able to get back to their activities with less
or no pain.”
Choosing the right knee replacement
is an essential part in helping patients get
back to the activities they love sooner.
It’s important to know that the performance
of knee replacements depends on
age, weight, activity level and other factors.
Th ere are potential risks and recovery
takes time. People with conditions limiting
rehabilitation should not have these
surgeries. Only an orthopedic surgeon can
determine if knee replacement is necessary
based on an individual patient’s condition.
Knee replacement surgery is not always
the answer, but for those wishing to
learn more, www.ATTUNEknee.com has
resources to learn about TKAs and hear
from patients who have faced similar situations.
Courtesy BPT
Eating right and staying healthy in retirement
Americans are now living longer than
ever before. In fact, one of the fastest
growing segments is people over the age
of 85 who will represent 20 percent of the
population by the year 2040. Because we
are living longer, certain conditions specifi
c to seniors are also on a steady rise.
Dehydration, falls, fractures, cognition
loss and attention defi cits are now becoming
more commonplace.
In a recent paper titled “Salt Appetite
Across Generations” presented at a medical
conference in Switzerland, Israeli
researchers from the University of Haifa
indicated that among seniors, a reduced
sense of thirst could increase the risk of
serious dehydration. Th ey also noted that
the appetite for salt does not diminish
with age, and suggested that this could be
used to help sustain hydration and prevent
the dangerous symptoms that result
from dehydration.
Another study published in the
American Journal of Hypertension identifi
ed signifi cant risks to cardiovascular
health and longevity from consuming less
than 1, or more than 3 teaspoons of salt
per day. Fortunately, most Americans,
including seniors, when left to their own
choice, consume right in the middle of
this range.
Seniors in assisted living centers can be
especially susceptible to the dangers of
low-salt diets. In 2013 a task force of 12
professional medical, nursing and nutritional
organizations assembled by the
Pioneer Network published the “New
Dining Practice Standards.” Th eir report
concluded that low-salt diets were contributing
to malnutrition and weight loss
among a signifi cant percentage of seniors
in assisted living facilities.
Low-salt diets can also cause seniors
to suff er from mild hyponatremia, an
electrolyte imbalance in the blood that
may not sound bad but can lead directly
to walking impairment, attention defi -
cits and a much higher frequency of falls.
Several recent medical papers found a
direct relationship between hyponatremia
and unsteadiness, falls, bone fractures and
attention defi cits.
Falls are one of the most serious problems
for the elderly and about a third
of people over 65 fall at least once every
year. Fall-related injuries in the elderly
are associated with numerous psychological
and physical consequences and are a
leading cause of bone breakage and hip
fractures, which can lead to complications
and permanent disability or death.
Some seniors do need a low-salt diet but
many do not, and would not benefi t from
such a diet.
Courtesy BPT
/www.ATTUNEknee.com
