Introduction
Patients with knee arthritis will often feel pain, stiffness, instability in the knee, as well as a change in their body alignment. When arthritis of the knee reaches advanced stages, there is typically eroded cartilage and weakening of the joint with patients experiencing increasing pain and dysfunction. Knee replacement surgery, also known as knee arthroplasty, is a procedure where part or all of a damaged knee joint is replaced with an implant in order to eliminate pain and restore function.
The most common cause of knee pain that leads to the need for a knee replacement is arthritis. This includes osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and post-traumatic arthritis as well as some other less common types of arthritis.
Surgical Treatment
Knee replacement surgery may be required when symptoms such as stiffness and swelling, and pain in the knee fail to respond to non-operative measures such anti-inflammatory medications or injections. Patients with pain at rest, difficulty walking, climbing stairs or standing who fail to respond to conservative treatments represent the typical knee replacement candidates. While total knee replacement is more common than partial knee replacement, both procedures involve removing damaged bone and cartilage and replacing the knee joint with an implant that allows for the restoration of natural movement and function of the knee. Most patients are able to return to their daily activities within 3-6 weeks of having surgery.
