The idea of a knee replacement is enough to make even the toughest patients wince. It’s major surgery, after all; muscle and tendon are cut, damaged bone is carved away, and a new joint is put in its place. Most people accept that relief comes at a cost – months of pain, physical therapy, and a slow return to everyday life. But what if that recovery didn’t have to be nearly so long and difficult?
As it turns out, it may not. An alternate surgical technique known as the Jiffy Knee replacement is rapidly gaining popularity among orthopedic surgeons and dramatically speeding patient recovery.
In traditional knee replacement surgery, most surgeons cut through the quadriceps tendon and then stitch it back together once the implant is in place. Because the quadriceps is the primary muscle responsible for walking, standing and climbing stairs, healing takes what seems like a very time and the recovery process tends to be quite painful…