What is Knee Replacement Surgery?
Knee replacement surgery (knee arthroplasty) is a procedure that involves removing diseased or damaged bone and cartilage of a knee joint and replacing them with artificial joint (prosthesis) made of metal, polymers or high-grade plastic parts.
It is an effective, safe procedure that can help relieve pain, feel better, move better and restore function in severely diseased knee joints.
There are a number of conditions that can result in a patient having to undergo knee replacement surgery. Perhaps the most common condition is osteoarthritis, commonly referred to as ‘wear and tear’ arthritis.
If the pain in your knee affects your quality of life, and you can’t be as active as you would like to be, it’s time to take a look into a knee replacement.
Total knee replacement in its current form has been around for over 25 years. In India, popularity has grown over the last 10 years. This is a good operation for pain and correction of deformity in the knee. Results of total knee replacement are excellent with survivorship of almost 95% at 10 years and 85% at 20 years. Like with any profession, the job has to be well done for the knee to survive long and the implant material has to be good too. Most knee implants in India are imported, although of late, one particular Indian brand has been showing promising results.
What Are The Most Common Types Of Knee Replacement Surgery?
There are two most common types of knee replacement surgery which include:
- Total Knee Replacement
- Partial Knee Replacement or Unicompartmental Replacement
Most knee replacement surgeries target the whole knee joint, called a total knee replacement. But some people opt for a partial knee replacement.
In order to understand the difference, we should first know the three compartments or sections of the knee:
- Medial (Inside)
- Lateral (Outside)
- Patellofemoral/anterior (Under the kneecap)
While a total knee replacement addresses all three sections, the partial knee replacement fixes a single section. Usually, only young adults with symptoms in just one knee section opt for a partial replacement.
Taking into account the condition of the knee and the patient’s general health, an orthopaedic surgeon will help in choosing the best option.
Total Knee Replacement (Procedure)
- Knee replacement surgery is most often performed while you are asleep under general anesthesia.
- The anesthesiologist will continuously monitor your heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, and blood oxygen level during the surgery.
- The skin over the surgical site will be cleansed with an antiseptic solution.
- The doctor will make an incision in the knee area.
- The doctor will remove the damaged surfaces of the knee joint and resurface the knee joint with the prosthesis. The knee prosthesis is made up of metal and plastic. The most common type of artificial knee prosthesis is a cemented prosthesis. Uncemented prostheses are not commonly used anymore. A cemented prosthesis attaches to the bone with surgical cement. An uncemented prosthesis attaches to the bone with a porous surface onto which the bone grows to attach to the prosthesis. Sometimes, a combination of the 2 types is used to replace a knee.
- The prosthesis is generally comprised of 3 components: the tibial component (to resurface the top of the tibia, or shin bone); the femoral [thigh bone] component (to resurface the end of the thighbone; and the patellar component (to resurface the bottom of the kneecap that rubs against the thighbone).
- The incision will be closed with stitches or surgical staples.
- A drain may be placed in the incision site to remove fluid.
- A sterile bandage or dressing will be applied.
