Knee Replacement Surgery in Turkey

A knee replacement is considered when the joint has worn to the point that pain limits walking, stairs and sleep. It is a reliable operation, but it is also one of the more demanding ones to recover from. This page covers what it involves, what recovery honestly looks like, and what to plan for if you are travelling from abroad.

What is a knee replacement?

The worn surfaces of the knee are removed and replaced with metal and hard-wearing plastic components. The end of the thigh bone and the top of the shin bone are resurfaced, and in many cases the back of the kneecap as well.

Most people who have it are being treated for osteoarthritis, where the cartilage that cushions the joint has worn away and bone is moving against bone.

Total or partial knee replacement?

The knee has three compartments. If only one of them is worn, a partial replacement may be possible — a smaller operation, with less bone removed, usually a quicker recovery and a more natural-feeling knee.

A total replacement resurfaces the whole joint. It is the right choice when damage is spread across the knee, when the ligaments are not sound, or when the deformity is significant.

Which one applies to you is decided from your X-rays and examination, not from your symptoms alone. Ask the surgeon which they are recommending and why.

Is it right for you?

Knee replacement is usually considered when:

• Pain limits walking, stairs or standing, and wakes you at night
• The knee is stiff, gives way, or will not straighten fully
• Painkillers, physiotherapy and injections are no longer controlling it
• X-rays show the joint surface has worn

It may not be the right time if:

• The pain is manageable and still responds to non-surgical treatment
• You have an active infection anywhere in the body
• You smoke, and are not able to stop before and after surgery
• You are not able to commit to the physiotherapy. This matters more for the knee than for almost any other joint.

Whether surgery is appropriate for you is a decision for the surgeon after examining you and reviewing your X-rays.

How the operation works

• Usually done under spinal anaesthetic, with sedation if you prefer, rather than a general anaesthetic
• Takes around one to two hours
• A tourniquet is often used on the thigh to reduce bleeding during the operation
• Expect two to four nights in hospital
• You will usually be helped to stand and take a few steps the same day or the day after

Surgery without a blood transfusion

Joint replacement involves more blood loss than most operations, which is why it comes up so often for patients who do not want a transfusion.

Some patients decline donor blood for religious reasons, Jehovah’s Witnesses most often. Others want to avoid a transfusion because of its risks, or would rather their own blood was conserved. Either way, this has to be planned before you travel, not discussed on the ward.

What is possible depends on the procedure and on your own health, including your haemoglobin level, and it is a conversation with the medical team. We cover this in more detail on our pages about bloodless surgery and bloodless orthopaedic surgery.

Recovery

Recovering from a knee replacement is harder work than recovering from a hip replacement. It is worth knowing that before you decide, rather than afterwards.

• Day of surgery or the day after: standing and taking the first steps with a frame or crutches
• First two weeks: swelling, bruising and real discomfort. Bending the knee is uncomfortable and has to be worked at daily.
• Two weeks: the aim is usually around 90 degrees of bend
• Two to six weeks: crutches gradually reduced
• Six weeks: usually able to drive again, longer if it is the right knee
• Desk work: around six weeks. Physical work takes longer.
• Full benefit: often a year, sometimes longer

Physiotherapy is not an optional extra with a knee. The range of movement you regain in the first weeks is largely what you keep, and regaining it is uncomfortable. Patients who do the exercises do better than patients who do not.

Two things people are often not told: a patch of numbness on the outer side of the scar is common and may be permanent, and kneeling may stay uncomfortable even when the knee is otherwise working well.

Flying home after a knee replacement

This needs planning, and it is the part most often glossed over.

Major surgery on the leg raises the risk of blood clots, and sitting still on a flight adds to that risk. Your surgeon will tell you when it is safe to fly and what precautions to take: blood-thinning medication, compression stockings, moving and walking regularly during the journey.

Plan to stay in İzmir considerably longer than you would for facial surgery. We will not book your return flight for a date your surgeon has not agreed to.

Risks to be aware of

Every operation carries risk. For knee replacement these include:

• Blood clots in the leg or lungs — the reason for blood-thinning medication afterwards
• Infection, which in some cases means further surgery
• Stiffness, where the knee does not regain the movement hoped for
• Pain that continues despite a technically sound replacement
• Numbness around the scar, often permanent
• Nerve or blood vessel injury
• Loosening or wear of the implant over time
• The possibility of revision surgery later

Most people are glad they had it done. Satisfaction after knee replacement is good, but not as uniformly high as after hip replacement, and it is honest to say so.

Your surgeon will go through the risks that apply to your case before you agree to anything.

How long does a knee replacement last?

Modern knee replacements commonly last fifteen to twenty years or more, but they are mechanical parts and they do not last forever. The younger and more active you are at the time of surgery, the more likely it is that you will need a revision at some point.

This is worth discussing with the surgeon rather than assuming, particularly if you are under sixty.

What the package includes

Included

• An online consultation with your Aegean Beauty coordinator before you travel
• Review of your X-rays and medical reports by the surgeon before you commit
• An in-person consultation and pre-operative tests on arrival
• The operation, the implant and the anaesthetic
• Hospital stay as required by your surgeon
• Hotel accommodation for the rest of your stay
• Breakfast at the hotel and all meals during your hospital stay
• Airport, hotel and hospital transfers
• Medication
• Physiotherapy during your stay
• Turkish–English and Spanish interpreting
• Follow-up contact after you return home

Not included

• Flights
• Other meals and personal spending
• Physiotherapy after you return home, which you will need
• Any further surgery, if it is needed later
• Treatment for complications after you return home
• Extra nights in İzmir if your surgeon asks you to stay longer

Cost

The cost depends on whether the replacement is total or partial, which implant your surgeon recommends, whether one knee or both are being replaced, and how long you need to stay. For that reason we quote each case individually rather than publishing a single price.

Send us your X-rays and reports and we will come back with a written quote covering everything listed above.

Who performs it

We are not a hospital and we do not employ surgeons. We work with orthopaedic surgeons and hospitals across İzmir, and we match you with the one whose experience fits your case — including, where it applies, experience with patients who decline a blood transfusion.

You are told who will operate on you, and where, before anything is booked. You can see the surgeons we work with most often on our Our Doctors page.

Talk to us about your case

Send us your knee X-rays and any reports from your own doctor, and tell us how the pain affects you day to day — stairs, walking distance, sleep. If a blood transfusion is something you want to avoid, say so in your first message.

We will come back to you with what is likely to be possible, who we would suggest, how long you should expect to stay, and a written quote.

There is no charge for this and no obligation.