Is Pain-Free Knee Surgery a Possibility?
September 16, 2004 | By: Sydonya E. Barker for Knee1 Imagine undergoing knee replacement surgery, leaving the hospital within hours, and walking unassisted in less than one week. Each year 300,000 Americans undergo traditional knee replacement surgery, a costly procedure meant to restore normal mechanics to the knee joint. The traditional surgery, lasting between one and a half to two and a half hours, often leaves a 12-inch scar. Fortunately, general anesthesia helps patients feel no pain during surgery, but once its effects wear off, patients writhe in pain as the cut muscles and tendons heal. “There’s just no excuse for painful surgery,” said Dr. Barry Cole of the American Academy of Pain Management. For the past five years, the medical community has increased efforts to lessen postoperative pain, said Cole. “You could get conceivably close to pain-free surgery without necessarily causing the patient any more surgical risk.” Because doctors can perform surgery through a small tube r
