Are both of your knees hurting more? Is your knee pain disturbing your day-to-day activities? Knee pain is intractable, especially when affecting both knees. Whether simply walking or climbing, knee pain deranges daily routine. Even an NCBI study says that approximately 26% to 44% of individuals struggle with chronic pain in both knees. If it isn’t treated on time, it can lead to substantial impairment of joint functioning.

You’ve tried medication, therapies, and almost every non-surgical treatment option, but your knee pain still pops up when the medication wears off. It’s a signal that you should start considering bilateral knee replacement surgery options. Let’s check in detail what bilateral knee replacement is, why it is needed, and how Dr. Kishore Kumar Panda helped his patient get rid of knee pain and live a pain-free life.

What is bilateral knee replacement surgery?

Bilateral knee replacement treatment used to replace both knee joints. It is categorised into 2 types of procedures:

Staged, where the knee is replaced one by one with a gap of 3 to 4 months. This procedure is performed when both knees suffer from different ranges of knee pain. In this procedure, individuals experience less physiological stress, which further speeds up the recovery process.

Simultaneous procedures include replacing both knee joints on the same day in the same operation. This also connotes “single sitting knee surgery.” The best thing about this procedure is the recovery time because of same-time surgery; patients recover within 3 to 6 months instead of 6 to 10 months 

Most probably, the decision depends on various parameters such as patient age, heart health, and knee condition.

Who is a good candidate for simultaneous bilateral knee replacement?

People often have questions like this. Based on a study of 567,915 patients, simultaneous knee replacement surgery was found to be great on patients with good physical strength.

According to Dr. Kishore Kumar Panda, this treatment requires more physical strength; even one research paper clarifies that, and here are some critical reasons doctors may decide to perform this surgery:

• when every non-surgical modality failed to provide relief
• when an individual reached a worse stage of knee pain that require immediate medical attention
• individual in good health with a BMI under 35
• individuals with good cardiovascular, lung, and kidney function
• individuals with chronic arthritis in both knees 

All these factors help orthopaedic surgeons understand whether an individual is a right fit for simultaneous bilateral knee replacement or not.

How does Dr. Kishore Kumar Panda help his patient, and what does his patient say about him?

Both of his knees caused extreme pain, and he could hardly stand without support; all the other important activities, such as walking, driving, climbing, and even sitting or bending his knees, caused major pain.

The patient said that he tried conventional treatment approaches but didn’t get permanent relief, which forced him to think about surgical options. 

During the examination, it was found that both of his knee joints needed to be replaced. After months of checkups and a detailed evaluation, Dr. Kishore Kumar Panda suggested bilateral knee replacement surgery to the patient. 

Both knee replacement together was performed in a single sitting, and both his knee joints were replaced. Within 4 to 5 days, the patient started walking with the help of assistive devices. 

Bilateral knee replacement surgery cost

The cost varies by city, as the typical cost of bilateral knee replacement ranges from Rs. 3,00,000 to Rs. 8,00,000 in India. You can check the surgery cost here:

According to Dr Kishore Kumar Panda, the average cost of bilateral knee replacement in Bhubaneswar is Rs. 3,50,000, with a minimum of around Rs. 6,00,000 and a maximum of up to Rs. 10,00,000.

• Average cost: Rs. 3,50,000
• Minimum cost: Rs. 6,00,000
• Maximum cost: Rs. 10,00,000

Additionally, the cost of robotic-assisted knee replacement surgery is Rs. 5,50,000 to Rs. 10,00,000.

Simultaneous vs. staged bilateral surgery: cost comparison

• Simultaneous bilateral knee replacement: Rs. 3,50,000 to Rs. 6,00,000
• Staged bilateral knee replacement: Rs. 4,50,000 to Rs. 8,00,000

What is the recovery time for bilateral knee replacement?

Double (bilateral) knee replacement treatment recovery time ranges from 3 to 6 months, during which the patient can start performing basic activities, but complete recovery takes up to 1 year (or 12 months). You can also check the detailed knee replacement recovery timeline guide; it will help you to understand the recovery process week by week.

In the case of staged knee replacement, the patient’s recovery time after the first knee joint surgery is 3 to 6 months and is followed by another 3 to 6 months of recovery after the second knee joint surgery.

Conclusion

Almost 90% of our daily activities involve our knee movement, and how difficult would life be when one or both knees are affected and causing tremendous pain, right? With advances in orthopaedic care, it’s now easier to operate on both knees at once. 

Whether you choose bilateral knee replacement surgery or staged knee replacement, it depends on your knee condition, but one thing you can do yourself is choose the best orthopaedic surgeon. Dr Kishore Kumar Panda is known for his expertise in bilateral knee replacement treatment and already helped patients walk pain-free.