Knee joint replacement Health Article

Definition

Knee joint replacement is surgery to replace a knee joint with an artificial joint. The artificial joint is called a prosthesis.

Alternative Names

Total knee replacement; Knee arthroplasty; Knee replacement - total; Tricompartmental knee replacement

Description

You may receive general anesthesia before this surgery. This means you will be unconscious and unable to feel pain. Or, you may have a spinal or epidural anesthesia. In this kind of anesthesia, medicine is put into your back to make you numb below your waist.

After you receive anesthesia, your surgeon will make an incision (cut) over your knee to open it up. Then your surgeon will:

• Move your kneecap (patella) out of the way, then shape the ends of your thigh bone and shin bone to fit the prosthesis. Your surgeon will also cut the underside of your kneecap to prepare it for the artificial pieces that will be attached there.
• Fasten the two parts of the prosthesis to your bones. One part will be attached to the end of your thigh bone and the other part will be attached to your shin bone. Both parts will then be attached to the underside of your kneecap. Your surgeon will use a special bone cement to attach these parts.

Usually, artificial knees have metal parts. Now, though, some surgeons are using some different materials, including metal on metal, ceramic on ceramic, or ceramic on plastic.