The knee is a very important joint which allows a great deal of movement and carries a lot of our body weight. As a result of this, the joint is prone to wearing away. This can cause you to slow down in activities and walking or even disturb your sleep. Knee replacement is surgery is often performed to replace the worn out surfaces in the natural knee joint and replacing them with artificial ones. Knee replacement is the most common joint replacement surgery which often lasts over 20 years in the majority of patients.
Other common phrases or abbreviations used to refer to knee replacements are as follows:
TKR: Total Knee Replacement
TKA: Total Knee Arthroplasty is another name for TKR. Arthroplasty means the surgical reconstruction or replacement of a joint.
PKR: Partial Knee Replacement, This also sometimes referred to as “Unicondylar replacement”
Why would someone need a knee replacement?
Knee replacement surgery can be performed in all adults but is most common in patients above the age of 50. However, some types of inflammatory arthritis may necessitate this much earlier. The most common reason to have knee replacement surgery is to reduce pain and disability caused by osteoarthritis (sometimes called simply: arthritis) or other joint problems.
A knee replacement is major surgery, so it is only recommended if other treatments, such as pain medications, physiotherapy or steroid injections, haven’t helped reduce pain or improve mobility. Your surgeon will offer you a knee replacement when the wear in your knee causes one or more of the following:
Moderate to severe pain that interferes with your quality of life, social life, work, and sleep
Difficulty walking and doing everyday tasks, such as shopping or getting out of the bath.
Chronic knee swelling and inflammation that is not managed by medication
Deformity in the knee joint which affects the alignment of the knee
About Knee Replacement
The graphic below shows what a knee replacement may look like inside your knee:
Over the years there have been new techniques developed to perform knee replacements such as Robot assisted surgery or computer assisted surgery. Currently these techniques have evolved where the surgeons are making progressively smaller incision. Because the incision is smaller, there may be less pain and a shorter recovery time. While these may be available or offered to some patients depending on the surgeon, it is important to bear in mind that surgeon experience remains the most important factor.
Watch this Video and learn more
References
“Knee Replacement – How It Is Performed.” NHS Choices, NHS, [link]. Accessed 22 May 2020
“Knee Replacement.” NHS Choices, NHS,[link]. Accessed 22 May 2020
Knee replacements: Versus Arthritis link - Accessed 22 May 2020