Although many that have knee replacement surgery do so because they have a medical condition that may cause it, it is also important to realize that you don't have to have it. There are many reasons why you may feel like this is not the right thing for you to do. Many patients struggle with the decision to have it done. Usually, it is a case of the 'what ifs." What if your new knees don't work right? What is the surgery is too expensive? What if you can't do the things you are doing now? But, the end result is simple. Without a knee replacement surgery, you may not be able to walk again.

The scary truth about this surgery is that it may be the only thing that can be done to help treat your condition. For example, one of the most common reasons to have this surgery is due to the condition known as rheumatoid arthritis. In short, this condition affects millions of people each year to different extents. If you don't get treatment and it progresses significantly, you can find your knees hurting day in and day out. It hurts to walk, it hurts to stand and it hurts to move at all. Eventually, arthritis can take over your knees function completely leaving you without the ability to move.

Knee Replacement Is Good

When you begin to work with your doctor about this treatment option, he or she has probably found that your condition is one that simply can not be improved with medications either to treat the arthritis pain or to help in slowing the progression of the condition. Most that have knee replacement surgery have no option in improving their condition through other means of treatment either. But, the alternative is to have a knee replacement surgery, which doesn't have to be a bad thing.

In fact, this surgery can be a turning point in your life. Today, the metals and plastics that are used in knee replacement are completely dependable and long lasting. They are easy to use and they function with your body when you want them to. Although there is a few weeks of time where physical therapy is needed to help educated you on how to use and get the most out of your new knees, you'll find that this process is nothing compared to the pain that you are currently facing.

For those that are dealing with the possibility of a knee replacement surgery, the first step should be to fully understand what your doctor wants to do and have him or her walk you through the surgery step by step. During this process, you should determine with your doctor the prognosis for what happens afterwards. If you have questions, get them answered. Find out what if anything can be done to ease your worries. Most importantly, make it a point to find others that have had knee replacement surgery and learn what their experience has been. Whether you are online or through local contacts, you deserve the opportunity to fully explore this treatment options that you have.

Surgery for a Total Knee Replacement is a major assault on the body. It creates a great amount of stress and your body's natural defense mechanisms react to the stress. Pain, swelling, and inflammation reactions are to be expected. At the same time your body reacts to the knee surgery, it starts to heal itself. Unfortunately, some of these reactions can hinder the healing and your subsequent recovery. The body's resources are stretched to meet all of their needs.

There are some simple things you can do to ensure you heal from your knee replacement as quickly as possible. They aren't complicated nor do they cost a lot of money. They will require your attention both before, and after your knee operation.

The body's ability to recover from any assault is dependent on a number of things. Adequate rest is one. Most healing occurs at night. Relief from stress is another. Stress, or to be more blunt, the fight or flight response, releases various chemicals into the body that channel activity away from long term care and over to quick response capability. You want to avoid this. The last requirement is the presence of appropriate and correct nutrients so the body can repair tissues and reduce inflammation.

Unfortunately our current diets don't have anything like the variety and quantity of vitamins, minerals and other elements that our ancestors evolved with. Part of the problem is the calorie density of our food. The constant presence of sugar and other carbohydrates provides more than adequate energy for our daily requirements, especially with our reduced levels of activities. In the distant past, our forbears had to eat a much larger quantity of vegetative material, and even meat (much leaner meat, with significantly less fat content) to fuel themselves up for their daily activities. And those daily activities did not involve turning up the thermostat for heat, or flipping a switch for cooling. All travel was by foot, and the hunt for food, before the invention of agriculture, required steady travel during much of the day. The calories burned by primitive peoples were large, but the benefit was that their diets were varied and their daily intake of vitamins, minerals, and other essential nutrients was significantly higher that we get today.

Certainly you should make a point of eating a varied diet, high in fresh vegetables and quality protein. Dark green leafy salads containing romaine, leaf lettuces, kale, swiss chard and spinach are good. Bright colored veggies like peppers (red and orange as well as green), carrots, tomatoes etc. contain the range of vitamins such as A, C, and E that will assist your recovery. And don't forget to take your multi-vitamins. Even with your best efforts, you are consuming produce that has been bred to look good in the store, and travel well, not to be nutritious. So double up on your on-a-days. A study involving 11,000 dentists, followed over a decade, identified that the healthiest 10% tended to consume about four times the RDA of most essential vitamins and minerals. Something to consider.

You might also think about starting the day off with a protein shake. A rounded scoop of whey protein powder with some frozen berries and half a banana in a blender is an excellent source of low fat protein and anti-oxidants. Have another shake mid-afternoon, and make your main meals, lunch and supper, slightly smaller than normal. This way you are spreading your nutrient intake out across the day. This is easier on your system.

There are some supplements you can take that will help you in your quest to heal. Two amino acids that you might consider are L-Arginine and Ornithine. These two are considered "non-essential" because your body can synthesize them from other proteins, but studies have shown that under conditions of stress, your body does not produce enough of them.

In particular, arginine and ornithine encourage the thymus gland in the production of more and more active lymphocytes. Lymphocytes play an important role in the body's immune system.

As well, studies have shown that arginine, in combination with lysine (1200 mg each), promotes the release of human growth hormone. HGH accelerates wound healing and slows muscle loss after surgery. If you have liver or kidney disorders, you should not take these supplements without consulting your doctor.

Your system has a major job in front of it. Healing from knee replacement surgery will stretch your systems resources. Provide it with the quality fuel it needs. And it will reward you with a faster, more comlication free recovery.

The knee is the largest joint on the human body, and it is also the most used joint. Your knees take a pounding throughout your lifetime, and almost everyone suffers from a sprained or strained knee at some point in their lives.

Whether you fall awkwardly or jar your knee, spraining or straining the knee joint is a common occurrence. - We will talk about some of the symptoms of knee sprains and strains, and also how you can help avoid them with the use of a knee brace.

A sprain is a stretching of the ligaments that join your bones together. They can be painful, and depending on the severity, they can also be debilitating. If you suffer from a second or third degree sprain, which is a tearing of the ligaments as opposed to just stretching them, you can lose your mobility altogether. Sprains can take weeks to heal, and in some cases, physical therapy is needed to gain back all of the movement you had before you suffered a sprained knee. If the knee sprain is severe enough, you may have to undergo surgery to correct the problem.

Some symptoms of a knee sprain or strain include:

Swelling

Loss of mobility in the knee joint

A grating sound

Numbness

Pain

A bulge that was not there before

If you are a sports enthusiast, there is no need to quit sports in order to prevent a knee sprain from occurring. Instead, you could simply try wearing a knee brace. Nothing is perfect, but a well designed knee brace can definitely help! People will often times think that there is a certain knee brace called a "football knee brace" or a "basketball knee brace", but these are just the sports that people can use knee braces for. The truth is that many different knee braces can be used when participating in these sports.

For example, if you need A sports knee brace should be used in conjunction with the injury that you have, or one you are trying to prevent. Knee braces can help to support the knee, and prevent injuries from occurring. They are fairly inexpensive, if you go to the right provider, and they can be found online. (One tip for finding a good vendor is that you should see if they have brace credentials, and are not just online salesmen.)

Weight lifters also use knee braces quite a bit. It only makes sense, really, since they are asking their bodies to lift an above average amount of weight. With almost any exercise that weight has to be carried, a knee brace can be a logical conclusion.

How in the world did the term "jumpers knee" evolve?

Hmmm... lets see now. Because you jump a lot?

You are indeed a genius!

But that's not the only cause of this very common chronic overuse injury/condition.

We are in the final weeks of the winter sports season and some of the kids, particularly in the sport of basketball, have been battling jumpers knee for a few weeks while others have been battling it for a few years!

Years?

Absolutely! I see more chronic patella tendinitis (which is a more medically correct term for jumpers knee) in today's athletes than ever. As a matter of fact I don't remember anyone having this condition back in the day. I'm sure some kids had a bout or two with this but very few and not to the extend I see in today's athletes.

So what does jumping have to do with it?

Well, if you look at the very powerful quadriceps muscle group you'll notice that they insert into the proximal or top part of the patella or knee cap. At the distal or bottom part of the patella is where the true patella tendon begins. This patella tendon travels distally and inserts into the tibial tuberosity, that boney bump at the top and front of your tibia or shin bone. If you've ever had Osgood Schlatters disease as a kid you know exactly where this boney landmark is.

When the quadriceps forcefully contract they generate a considerable amount of force that runs down through the patella, patella tendon, and to it's insertion on the proximal tibia to extend the lower leg and allow jumping to occur.

Obviously in the "court sports", basketball and volleyball in particular, the amount of jumping is never ending. These activities also require considerable lateral movement which requires a constant stance of knees flexed and butt down. This ongoing "good stance" further places significant stress on these jumping components.

Another common cause of this condition that I frequently see is in weight training kids that do a lot of deep squats, power cleans, and clean and jerk lifts. Jumpers knee isn't just for jumpers anymore. The overload power lifting often seen in off season football weight training has it's fair share of cases also.

So does the whole patella tendon hurt?

I suppose it can. But far and away the largest site of jumpers knee pain is at the top of the patella tendon, at it's origin into the distal apex of the patella. And it is painful, debilitating, and very difficult to resolve through conservative treatments. I'm especially referring to kids that have chronic, long term symptoms for 1-3 years and have tried seemingly everything to get rid of it. And nothing seems to work.

So what kind of treatment does "everything" consist of?

First of all, giving advise on any injury or condition, you always have to start by seeing your local physician or physician of your choice first (if your insurance allows!). But please be advised that some of these physicians don't understand jumpers knee/patella tendinitis from a bad case of hemorrhoids and care about as much. They're simply going to give you prescription of drugs and hopefully, a prescription to a reputable Physical Therapist or Athletic Trainer. Do your homework on the therapist part prior to seeing the physician so you can assist in recommending the prescription.

Modify your activity level! This has to happen if you ever expect to get over anything! This doesn't necessarily mean completely stopping what you're doing but you must identify the specific activities that are causing you the pain and eliminate them from your daily routine. Competitors hate this but you're beating a dead horse otherwise.

Ice massage- 2, 3, 4, 5...... times per day 10-12 minutes each time. Get yourself some 7 oz. paper cups, fill them about

Would You Disagree?

You could probably lose your pinky finger and play football pretty darn well, but if you lost the function of one of your knees, you ain't doing squat!

Let's face it, whether you are playing contact football, or just playing two hand tag football with your buddies on the weekend, one thing always remains the same.... You want to WIN!

Sure, everyone wants to win, you know that, you were not born yesterday, but what does all this mean for your body?

1.) Pushing Yourself

It means you are going to push yourself, and whether you just put the ball carrier face down in a puddle of mud, or you made a quick movement to juke your defender, your body can pay the price. Let's hope your body doesn't have to "pay the price", but if it has, or if you worry it will, then you better read on.... We suggest that you protect one of your most valuable assets,... your knees! This way you can keep playing this sport for a long while.

If keeping your knees healthy is a concern of yours then we seriously suggest that you consider using a football knee brace.

2.) Knee Braces For Support & Protection

People can find a lot of different knee braces that lend themselves well to football. Knee braces are designed to help protect your knees and to help keep any knee injury you do have from getting worse. God forbid you sustain an ACL tear, an MCL tear, or a meniscus tear. This can set you back, but if you want to protect the structure of your knee then a football knee brace can help.

3.) Money Saving Idea

You may have heard that the only kind of knee brace that can help you is a custom knee brace. Most of the time, the answer to that question is "false"! The only time you will need to pay the premium for those kinds of knee braces is if your knee anatomy is not within the norm. Meaning, the girth of your knee is outside of the normal size range, or you have an anatomical defect that makes your knee different. Despite these two scenarios, knee brace manufactures have more than likely accounted for your size and shape, or they would have been out of business a long, long time ago. Just remember, custom knee braces are usually more expensive and do not necessarily offer you any more protection from knee injury than that a non custom knee brace. What you need to focus on is the level of support that each knee brace can provide to you; cause they are all different.

If you have had a knee injury or knee surgery, it is very important that you wear a knee brace that is going to help stabilize and protect the knee. If you continue to play a sport such as football without having the proper protection for your knee, your injury could get much worse and the chances of you being able to continue to play football or other sports can be in harms way.

Are you having trouble with your knee?

Those who suffer from any kind of knee pain on a regular basis know how frustrating it can be to find relief. They also know that it can hard for knee injuries to heal since we are always on our feet. We put a lot of pressure and stress on our knees every day through movements as simple as bending and twisting.

The patella is a particularly easy area of the knee to get injured. The weight of the body is placed on the knee area and the meniscus that surround the knee area have the job of distributing the weight of the body evenly to prevent damage to occur to the other bones of the leg. The patella can easily be damaged and if it is it can be hard to heal. Sometimes your knee cap can deviate to one side, causing a great deal of concern and discomfort.

How do you know if you have a patella condition or injury?

If you experience an aching feeling in or around the knee and it is difficult to move properly you may have an injury to your patella. Some people also experience a sensation in the knee similar to popping or grinding and have problems when they are trying to bend or straighten the knee.

Those who are prone to knee problems such as arthritis also can easily develop patella conditions. There are all kinds of knee braces available for knee injuries and conditions ranging from meniscus tears to arthritis conditions. Patella stabilization knee braces are designed to keep the patella from shifting from side to side during movements, while others can have a valuable cushion to aid you while you are on your knees.

Patella stabilization braces are the best way to help protect and support the knee fully during all kinds of movement. They work by firmly supporting the patella and help keep it stable while you are performing movements. They are available in different amounts of support and protection, and the one that is best for you depends on the kind of injury. If you have to have a knee surgery to repair a meniscus tear or other problem, you will generally be advised to wear a knee brace for a period of time after the surgery to allow the knee to help heal completely and to keep it protected.

Osteoarthritis is considered one of the most debilitating of diseases, and is clearly the most common type of musculoskeletal disorders.

Our population has become riddled with this terrible affliction, with millions of new cases reported annually. The overall cost to society is estimated to be in the region of $100 billion.

While Osteoarthritis is not thought to be gender related, it is apparent that the disease is far more common in women, than in men.

Although age is an obvious factor in many cases of osteoarthritis, it's also very clear that there are other areas of concern, such as sports injuries, or perhaps a previous auto accident, Any previous injury, broken bone etc. can become a contributing factor in later life to one's osteoarthritis condition.

Obesity is a worrying problem in our modern world and has a significant effect on those suffering with OA. Osteoarthritis is most commonly found in the hands, knees, hips and back, and can be especially problematic in the load bearing joints.

Osteoarthritis tends to be less prevalent in the shoulder joint, but not unheard of. OA pain in the shoulder region, or glenohumeral, will when in most cases be attributed to a previous injury.

Discovering the actual cause of one's OA can be like searching for a needle in a haystack, some factors are known however and should be considered, such as what strain certain types of occupation may be having on the condition.

Being overweight is a modern day epidemic, one which can have serious consequences for all of us especially arthritics suffering with osteoarthritis. Losing those excess pounds will lessen the strain on the load bearing joints, which in turn can only help one's OA.

Osteoarthritis is unfortunately an on going condition (chronic)

Osteoarthritis isn't typically thought of as an inflammatory disease, but researchers have found that people with osteoarthritis have higher levels of inflammatory cells in their joints, tests concluded this as fact after measuring levels in OA patients against people without the disease.

OA as we know is a very common and unfortunately an on going condition, which does tend to kick in as our body's get older, however more recently reported cases of OA indicate the conditions apparent rise amongst a younger population, which is set to become a significant health issue in the near future. So, while it is still true to say that OA is more prevalent with age, it is not true to describe osteoarthritis as an inevitable part of growing older.

The Demise of the Joint

The breaking up of the cartilage can cause Inflammation of the surrounding joint capsule, though often mild, compared to that which occurs in rheumatoid arthritis.

The swelling is brought on by tiny pieces of the damaged bone finding its way in to the synovial space (the protective area between the joint). Many severe cases of swelling attributed to OA may even restrict joint mobility.

The Dread of Night for those with Osteoarthritis.

The pain, the swelling, and the stiffness is normally at it's worst last thing at night, Resulting in lack of sleep and re-charge for the body's natural defence. Constant restless and sleepless nights will eventually take their toll on anyone, especially those suffering with such an aggressive disease.

Joint Replacement.

In many cases of OA especially in older patients, the outcome of OA is more often than not surgery, such as joint replacement, this is not always the case for younger sufferers however. A younger person with OA will normally only require surgery in a very advanced or aggressive case.

Hip and knee surgery is the most common type of joint replacement carried out today (load bearing joints), most operations are successful, however in the long term the replaced joint will only have around an 85% chance of still being intact, after around 15 years, so joint replacement must always be the last resort.

Osteoarthritis Relief Through Exercise

Low impact exercising is not thought to be damaging to those suffering with OA, In most cases simple exercising is encouraged as a way of re-gaining some mobility in an effected joint, an ongoing exercise program can also help to strengthen the area around the joint, which aids support. Exercising on a regular basis is known to be beneficial for numerous reasons, apart from OA.

Before anyone suffering with OA begins any type exercise program it would be wise to speak to their doctor, your doctor knows your condition well, so should be able to point you in the right and safe direction as far as exercising goes.

Not All Arthritis Supplements are Regulated by the FDA

Don't be tempted in to taking supplements that promise the earth, yes they just might work for you, however unless they are governed by the FDA (Food and Drug administration) who knows what your taking, you may end up with a container full of capsules containing nothing more than, ground rock and chalk. Only use FDA approved products.

Treat Arthritis The Natural Way

In many cases arthritis drugs carry so many side effects, and occasionally make the condition worse, not better. Many old and indeed new alternative treatments exist which have been shown to relieve arthritis, I believe they work by tackling the underlying elements of the condition (even in OA)

Flush the Toxins from Your Body - And Start Recovering!

Drink as much filtered water on a daily basis as you can, you should aim to consume around 2 litres a day where possible. Drinking excessive amounts of water helps remove the harmful toxins trapped in the body, and can ultimately help relieve symptoms of arthritis.

Avoid using water straight from the tap as it will probably contain heavy metal deposits, which are also damaging to the bones.

People suffering with osteoarthritis may like to experiment with their diet, foods which are known to be good for OA and indeed most types of arthritis are,

fresh fruit due to the fantastic natural antioxidant properties they contain (not the citrus variety),

Oily fish is especially good for those suffering with arthritis due to it's high content of fatty acids and vitamin E.

Treating your own OA, or any arthritic condition, naturally and without drugs may seem a bit of a daunting task, but from experience I can tell you that it can be done with only a little effort on your part.

Alternative treatments or just simple little life changes can and do make a difference, natural methods may at first seem slower, this is because they attend to the underlying cause, instead of drug therapies which offer only symptomatic relief. You really can relieve your own condition if your willing to try. There are many free sites on the web dedicated to natural treatments, why not take a look.

by Mark John

Whether for better or worse, our country is on the verge of major health care reform. In times of rapid change like now, the risk of medical mistakes heightens. According to the Institute of Medicine, an estimated 98,000 hospital patients are killed every year as a direct result of medical malpractice, constituting one of the leading causes of preventable death in the United States; surgical mistakes are high among the common causes.

Examples of surgical errors are: mistaken identity, surgery performed on the wrong body part or wrong site or side, receiving the wrong procedure at the correct surgical site, surgical instruments left inside the body after surgery, and unneeded surgery related to misdiagnosis. The best thing you can do to prevent becoming a statistic is take an active role and empower yourself. Use this safe-surgery checklist to help avoid the devastating consequences of becoming a victim:

1. Do you need this surgery and do you need it now? As trustworthy you may be of your doctor, it never hurts to obtain a second and, perhaps, a third opinion. Then, weigh your surgery options and make informed decisions.

2. Upon checking in for surgery, read your ID bracelet. Is all of the information accurate? If not, get it corrected both on the bracelet and in your medical record.

3. Be impolite. Prior to surgery, ask medical professionals who want to touch you if they have just washed their hands. Even go so far as to ask them to wash their hands in your presence. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that "Keeping hands clean is one of the most important ways to prevent the spread of infection and illness." Similar sterilization rules apply to medical instruments. For example, stethoscopes should be sterilized with alcohol. If it's not happening before your very eyes, request it.

4. Prior to surgery, a member of the surgical team should confirm with you and identify the type of procedure you're having, the site of the surgery on your body, and your consent to have it done. The surgeon should be the one, and the only one, to mark the operative site and do so with a permanent marker-type pen.

5. A pulse oximeter, a medical device that indirectly measures the oxygen saturation of a patient's blood, should be placed on one of your fingers. When the pulse oximeter is positioned on your finger, ask "What is my oxygen saturation?" to assure someone looks at the oximeter and makes sure it's functioning.

6. Have you ever had trouble being anesthetized? If yes, inform the anesthesiologist and the surgeon.

7. Do you have any drug allergies? Inform a member of the surgical team and tell them to write it down in your surgical data. Do the same for any other important details regarding your medical history or problems that the surgical team needs to be aware of. Any minor-seeming detail about a patient's life can result in potentially disastrous surgical errors.

8. Check that the surgical team has your important x-ray files for display in the operating room. This effort helps prevent mistakes such as wrong-organ removal.

9. Begin antibiotic treatment prior to surgery. Studies show that the rate of infection may be reduced by 50% or more if a patient is administered a preventive antibiotic within one hour prior to surgery (the initial cutting). And, double-check that the antibiotic you take is the one your doctor prescribed.

10. Don't be embarrassed or hesitant to postpone your surgery if there are inaccuracies or things seem helter-skelter in the pre-surgery complex and/or during pre-surgery procedures. Never feel intimidated to question things. It's your body, and your right.

11. Have an "advocate" - your protector, enforcer, and defender - with you. Ask someone you trust - a friend, relative or a professional patient advocate - to take you to and from the surgery facility, and be with you at the hospital or surgery facility the entire time.

12. Get post-surgery orders explained to you and your advocate not only verbally but also in clearly written take-home instructions. Ask questions if there's something you don't understand.

Treatment of colorectal cancer completely depends upon the stage it is at. In its initial stages, colorectal cancer can be treated successfully. However, as the disease advances, it becomes severe and therefore, the treatment also becomes complicated. Though there are a number of colorectal cancer treatments available these days, the success rates at advanced stages still low. So, one must try to avoid reaching this stage.

The most common treatment of colorectal cancer is surgery. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy are also popular treatments but they are advised according to the stage of the disease. Surgeries can also be classified in to various types, namely curative, bypass, palliative, open and close and fecal diversion. For a localized tumor, curative surgery is performed. In the early stage of surgical removal of polyp within which the cancer has developed is the best treatment. Curative surgery for the colorectal cancer involves the lower anterior resection.

When the tumor has reached the metastatic stage, palliative surgery can be performed. This surgery helps to reduce the morbidity of the tumor, resulting in to comparatively lesser pain and severity. If the tumor has enlarged to the extent that it invades the premises of other organs, doctors prefer to perform the bypass surgery of the tumor or fecal diversion through the stoma.

To avoid the worsening of the situation and bring the tumor under control, chemotherapy is performed. The metastatic stage of the tumor is the most dangerous stage and to control the tumor, chemotherapy is performed. It can be applied either after the surgery or before it.

Radiotherapy and immunotherapy are other effective treatments for colorectal cancer. Usually, radiotherapy is not used for colon cancer. It is difficult to target the particular part of the colon. However, radiation can be used for rectal cancer. This therapy is given in the metastatic stage. In case the tumor extends beyond the rectum, this therapy is given before the surgery. To increase its effectiveness, doctors also use the chemotherapy agents to perform radiotherapy.

Immunotherapy is another very common and effective therapy for treating the colorectal tumors. In this therapy, the immune system of the patient's body is used to battle cancer. The immune system is boosted and made strong enough to fight it. There are different types of immunotherapies for different types of cancers. Fighting colorectal cancer with immunotherapy is a new and effective method.

Apart from these methods, there are certain natural and alternative ways to fight colorectal cancer. In case you observe any of these symptoms, contact your doctor and get screened to avoid the worsening of disease. There are a number of colorectal cancer treatments available and it is best advised to seek them to avoid the fatal consequences of the disease.

After having either a hip or knee replaced, getting the required amount of sleep in those first two to three weeks after the surgery can be a daunting process. You will find that you slept better when you were hospitalized then when you return home and the reasons are many.

One reason was that you were better medicated. medication schedules for the most part are better regulated then when you arrive home. Many patients will either postpone taking their medication for pain or forget altogether. You are less distracted at the hospital in regards to family and friends you find you will rest better in the hospital then when you arrive home.

Now there are cases however where this is not always a fact. It will depend on your experience at the hospital some of you may feel much better in your own bed. Something however will change when you get home causing the replacement to create more discomfort and in turn reduce your sleep.

I find the patient that has had a knee replaced will suffer more then the hip replacement patient as having the knee replaced is more painful. keeping the knee comfortable during the night is something that you have to work at. The knee will wake you up at night as it starts ache and you will develop muscle spasms once it has sat still for awhile. The trick here is when you wake up to start moving the knee as soon as possible and you will find the pain will relieve itself.

Here are several things you can do to help yourself get a good nights sleep after returning home after joint replacement surgery.

1. Be sure not to complete your last set of exercises right before going to be. I suggest you do your last exercise session roughly two hours before going to bed.

2. Be sure to take your pain medication before going to sleep. I found this to be helpful in my case and it will help relax you and begin to decrease the pain at the surgical site.

3. Keep your room cool and comfortable. Have found many patients that have tried to sleep with the room temperature higher then normal due to the fact they are not active and feel cold to begin with. Having a room temperature that is higher then normal will keep you uneasy and tossing and turning as well. Use a temperature that is comfortable to you.

4. Monitor you overall workload during the day. Many people when they get home begin to get involved in to much around the home. Remember these joint replacements will not let you know you have done too much until later that night and the next day. By over doing things around the home more exercises then has been prescribed or household chore will also cost you a good nights sleep.

After getting home and re-established, you will find your sleep patterns will begin to get back to normal within two weeks. The first two weeks will be hit and miss. this is something I have found of course that will vary from patient to patient. Sleeping will be a challenge when you first arrive home so try and prepare yourself accordingly.