What are Surgical Options for Knee?

what-are-surgical-options-for-knees

When you have a knee replacement surgery, your doctor is actually replacing the worn out surfaces of your knee with metal and plastic implants.

Knee replacement has two primary purposes:

  1. Pain relief
  2. Improved functioning of the knee joint

With the diagnosis that knee replacement surgery is necessary your orthopedic surgeon may choose to plan your surgery and select the implant size and style in advance.

There are two types of knee arthroplasty:

  1. Partial knee replacement
  2. Total knee replacement (TKR).

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What is a Knee Implant?

what-is-a-knee-implant
A knee prosthesis, or implant, usually consists of three components:

  1. The femoral (thighbone) component is usually metal and covers the end of the thighbone. It is either cemented to the bone or has a porous coating allowing the bone to fuse to it.
  2. The tibial (shinbone) component is usually metal and covers the end of the tibia.
  3. Between those two metal components a polyethylene layer is inserted, replacing the articular cartilage, to allow for smooth movement of the implant components. Occasionally, the back of the patella will be covered by a polyethylene implant.
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