Which is the best knee replacement?

As the change in lifestyle and expectations of the aging population more and more people are having the knee pain which results in the knee replacement.

Knee Joint Replacement 

Knee joint replacement with prosthesis has remarkably changed the lifestyle and quality of life for the patients suffering from arthritis. Instead of being bed-ridden and crippled, these patients are leading a normal pain-free life and are able to do normal daily activity independently. Joint replacement was primarily designed for elderly population above 55 years. With new technological development in the field of joint replacement, age is no longer a restriction for undergoing this procedure. These operations have been successfully performed with an excellent outcome in young as well as old patients.

Patello-Femoral Joint Replacement

Patello-femoral joint replacement is done in patients who have knee pain mainly under the knee cap over the anterior aspect. Here the only anterior aspect of femur and under-surface of the patella is replaced.

Compartmental Knee Replacement

Technological advancement has led to the development of compartmental knee replacement which is primarily used for younger patients who have arthritis limited to one part of the knee. Once the diseased bone is removed and replaced with a metal prosthesis, the pain completely disappears and patients get back to the pre-arthritic stage. It also helps in restricting the progression of arthritis to the rest of the knee.

Medial and Lateral Compartment Knee Replacements

Medial and lateral compartment knee replacements are done in patients who are suffering from pain on inside or outside of the knee. Pain over the inside of the knee is more common hence more and more patients are undergoing medial compartment knee replacements. Over the years, medial compartment knee replacement has produced an excellent result and increased the overall longevity of the replaced joint.

Rehabilitation following a compartmental knee replacement is much easier and rapid and there is less surgical exposure to performing these surgeries. Also, it produces “near-normal knee” as the rest of the bone and joint is intact.

Total Knee Replacement Can Help

Total knee replacement is one of the most common operations performed worldwide. It is mainly performed for advanced arthritis in the knee and has been successfully performed and reproduced over the last three decades. A distal end of the femur (thigh bone) and a proximal end of the tibia (leg bone) is replaced with the metal prosthesis and in-between space is fitted with a plastic spacer.

There are plenty of designs for knee joint prosthesis in the market and these need to be individualized depending on the patient requirement and the patient’s expectations. Patients with very severe arthritis or instability may require extra connecting rod in the stem of the implant to provide stability. More active patients may require mobile polyethylene spacer (mobile-bearing implants) which changes its orientation with changing the motion of knee thus allowing increased longevity of the replaced knee joint.

I hope the information given will be helpful to you. If you have any issues regarding this please visit: Apollo Hospital Ahmedabad | Apollo Hospitals Navi Mumbai