INTRODUCTION

Knee arthroplasty, also known as Total Knee Replacement (TKR), can relieve pain and restore function in patients with significant wear on their knee.  

Knee wear originates from the cartilage covering the femur, the tibia and the patella, and can also originate from other injuries, such as degenerative meniscal tears.

This painful damage on the joint is known as osteoarthritis.

Cartilage is a viscoelastic tissue, which does not contain nerves -so it cannot be a source of pain; instead, pain originates from bones rubbing together when there is no cartilage tissue. The main cartilage functions are: shock absorption, force distribution and wear resistance.   

Cartilage is principally composed of water, type-II collagen and other molecules such as chondroitin sulfate. Hyaluronic acid is responsible for maintaining these components on the cartilage tissue. This is the reason why mild stages of osteoarthritis are treated with supplements, such as chondroitin sulfate (Condrosan®), and with Hyaluronic Acid injections on the knee. 

A TKR is most commonly performed for osteoarthritis. In the severe stages of osteoarthritis, there is an alteration in the normal alignment of the knee, and patient will experience mechanical problems, being unable to bend and to stretch the knee completely and finding difficult to carry on daily activities like walking.

Total Knee Replacement

Total Knee Replacement video technique 

SURGICAL TECHNIQUE 

An incision is made at the front of the knee to have access to the joint. A deeper incision is made through the middle of the quadriceps muscle and tendon.

During the TKR procedure, the surgeon will make a series of cuts on the cartilage and damaged bone and the damaged joint surface will be replaced with a device made very resistant metal and plastic.  The components are glued to the bones with special, surgical cement. 

There are many different types of prosthesis available, and your surgeon will choose one or another based on the stage of your condition, your age, your weight, your medical history and activity level. 

It is important to bear in mind that overweight and obesity will directly affect the prosthesis durability in a negative way.