Knee Joint Prosthesis

The total knee replacement surgery is clearly indicated when your knee has lost its normal joint function in consequence of cartilage and bone damage causing stiffness and persistent pain. In this operation the damaged parts of the knee joint will be removed and te bones will be covered whith artificial materials in order to recover and regain pain-free joint function.

The most common cause is arthrosis ( osteoarthritis ), which means the degenerative damage of the joint cartilage and the participating bones, in many cases related to malposition of the joint axis. Other concurrent causes are rheumatoid arthritis, former injuries, longlasting work- related overloading as well as overstressing sportive activities and several metabolic diseases.

As a result the joint function gets significantly restricted, increasing wear of the bone structure leads to recurrent and persistent pain.

When all nonsurgical therapeutic steps are exhausted, your doctor will recommend a knee joint replacement operation.This is especially so if your knee joint has lost it´s normal function permanently because of painful wear and cannot recover without operation.

The total knee relacement surgery will take about 45 to 90 minutes. After an incision of approximately 15 cm on the front side of your knee joint the damaged cartilage tissue will be removed. The artificial components of the prosthesis customized to your measures will be fixed to the bones using appropiate tools and special bone cement. When the normal functioning of the knee joint is confirmed by the surgeon, a drain will be placed in the knee in order to relieve any blood that might collect after surgery. Finally after the surgical sutures to close the wound you get a sterile bandage and compression stockings.

The operation will be performed under spinal or epidural anesthesia or a general anesthesia. Your anaesthesiologist is competent to make the decision which method is more suitable for you according to your physical condition. after a close exam.

One day after surgery the patient will stand up and walk with the assistance of an expert physiotherapist, using a walker or crutches. Normally, beeing on your way to recovery, you will be discharched from hospital 4 days after operation and the follow-up exam will be after 2 weeks.