Best Knee Replacement Surgeons in Katy TX and West Houston

There are dozens of doctors who perform knee replacement in Katy and West Houston. Which is the best for you?

Finding the right person to perform the procedure is crucial. Fortunately, Katy is home to some experienced orthopedic surgeons who meet the Best Practice Health criteria for certification for total knee replacement.

In this article we will review the qualities you need to look for in a knee replacement surgeon, as well as the top surgeons specializing in knee replacements in Katy, Texas. At the end, you will have all the information you need to choose the right one for you.

When it comes to selecting the best knee replacement surgeon in Katy, Texas, there are several important factors to consider. First, experience is key. Total and partial knee replacement are major surgeries, and practice makes perfect.

Knee replacement surgery has a number of possible complications including infection, instability, loosening, mechanical implant failure, fracture, persistent knee pain, and in the wrong hands, even death. These risks are why it’s important to find a higher volume surgeon with extensive experience.

We cannot emphasize enough that volume is the key to safety. Surgeons who do a larger number of knee replacements have half the complications. Most of us feel we can trust our doctors, but amazingly, 93% of knee replacement surgeons do not qualify as high volume. That means the orthopedic surgeon someone in your family recommended has a 93% chance of not being the best.

Training

You also want a knee surgeon who has the right training. As a bare minimum, select an orthopedic surgeon who is board-certified and specializes in knee replacements. Board certification is your way of verifying a surgeon has received the necessary education and training, but not even that is enough.

The Katy surgeons we recommend have all completed a fellowship in joint replacement surgery. This is often referred to as “adult reconstruction.” That is an additional year of training after orthopedic residency focused entirely on hip and knee replacement.

A recent study showed that fellowship trained hip surgeons are not subject to the “learning curve” complications that typically occur in surgeons learning minimally invasive approaches. The same is likely true for knees.

Pick the Right Facility for You:

So far, we have emphasized the surgeons; however, knee joint replacement surgery requires a quality team and facility behind the surgeon.

There are three hospitals within a close range of Katy, Texas that perform knee replacements. Houston Methodist West Hospital and Sugar Land Surgical Hospital both perform a relatively small number of cases with a rate of complications on par with the national average. Houston Methodist Sugarland performs a higher number of joint replacements with a rate of complications also comparable to the national average.

Source: Find Healthcare Providers: Compare Care Near You | Medicare.

The best place to have a knee replacement these days is not in a hospital, anyway. With minimally invasive approaches and robotic assistance knee replacement can now be done in an ambulatory surgery center (ASC). Having surgery in an ASC eliminates your risk of hospital errors and hospital acquired staph infections.

We talked about the surgeon, the team, and the facility; but you can’t forget about the surgery itself. Modern best practice for knee replacement surgery calls for robotic assistance, proven implants, and a minimally invasive approach.

Robotic Assisted Surgery

Robotic assisted knee replacement surgery gained popularity in recent years because it is more accurate, reduces the risk of dislocation, and the computer helps your surgeon select the perfect implants to maximize your range of motion. Orthopedic surgeons who perform robotic surgery have access to real-time imaging and precise measurements, allowing for more accurate placement of the implant. Robotic surgery results in reduced complications, quicker recovery time for patients and, it’s too soon to tell, but hopefully better long-term outcomes.

Proven Implants

Can you imagine opening your mailbox one day and receiving a recall letter not for your car, but for your new knee? It happens.
That’s why you want your joint replacement to have an implant that has a proven track record of success and is determined by surgical registry data to have a low rate of complications. After all, the risk of your new knee needing to be replaced over 20 years is less than nine percent, and you deserve the best.

The American Joint Replacement Registry (AJRR) is an annual report released by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons that reviews data for all joint implants, including knee implants.

Minimally Invasive Surgery

The last thing to consider before choosing your orthopedic surgeon is their surgical technique. Legacy orthopedic surgeons take down the quadriceps muscle to expose the whole knee during surgery. While that surgery is easier to perform for the surgeon, it sacrifices muscle tissue that leads to a longer recovery, more pain, and permanent weakness of the knee joint.

Today, the best surgeons use a quadriceps muscle sparing technique. This makes the surgery more challenging for the surgeon but leads to a faster and less painful recovery for you. And do you want to keep your quadriceps muscle, or not?