The Knee is the largest joint in the body. Normal knee function is very important to perform day today activities. Knee is made up of the lower end of thigh bones (femur) which rotates on the upper end of the shine bone (tebia) and the knee cap which slides in a groove on the end of the femur.

The Joint surface is covered with a smooth substance that cushions the bones and enables them to move easily. All remaining surfaces of the knee are covered by a thin, smooth tissue liner .This is membrane releases a special fluid that lubricates the knee, reducing friction to nearly zero in a healthy knee. Normally, all of this mechanism works in harmony. But disease or injury can create disorder in this harmony, resulting in pain, muscle weakness, and reduced function.


Knee replacement surgery is performed to treat advanced or end-stage arthritis or to the patient who has severe pain in the knee joint. Total Knee Replacement (TKR) is a surgical procedure that removes a diseased knee joint and replaces it with a prosthesis (artificial joint). A surgeon cuts away damaged bone and cartilage from your thighbone, shinbone and kneecap, and replaces it with an artificial joint (prosthesis) made of metal alloys, high-grade plastics and polymers. Depending on the condition of the cartilage on the undersurface of the kneecap, this may also be replaced. The actual procedure takes about 1 ½ to 2 hours.

Causes of Knee Pain

Most common causes of knee joint damage is arthritis. There are two types of arthritis:

Osteoarthritis

In osteoarthritis gradual deterioration of knee is caused by the time and limits the usage of the cartilage between the femur and the tibia. This is very common in the people above the age of fifty. Osteoarthritis causes pain, swelling, creaking and stiffness in the knee joint.

Rehumetoid

Reumetoid arthritis is a auto immune disorder where the tissues around the knee joint become inflamed and cause deterioration of cartilage and other parts of the knee.

Symptoms of Knee Replacement:

• Daily Knee Pain
• Stiffness in Knees
• Pain is so severe that it restricts you to do your daily work like walking
• Significant instability of knees
• If you are patient of severe arthritis since a long time and cannot move.

Types of Knee Replacement

Usually there are two types of Knee Replacement:

Total Knee Replacement: 

In bilateral Knee Replacement Surgery both the knees are replaced. Patient can go for either simultaneous knee replacement or staged knee replacement surgery.  Knee surgery which is performed for both the knees on the same day is called either simultaneous knee replacement and if the procedure is performed on both the knees but not on the same day is called staged knee replacement.

Unicompartmental Knee Replacement/Partial Knee Replacement:

Unicompartmental Knee Replacement Surgery is done to replace either the inside medial or outside compartments of the knee. In this surgery only a part of the damaged knee is replaced. This surgery is also called Partial knee arthroplasty. The unicompartmental knee replacement is used to replace a single compartment of the arthritic knee. The knee joint has three compartments: the medial (inner) compartment, the lateral (outer) compartment, and  the patellofemoral (kneecap) compartment. If the damage is limited to either the medial or lateral compartment, that compartment may be replaced with the unicompartmental knee implant.

The type of knee replacement depends up on the medical condition of the patient.

Minimally Invasive Knee Replacement

A recent advance in the performance of total knee replacement is the use of minimally invasive surgical approaches. This technique, still in its relative infancy, is more challenging than standard total knee replacement. The incisions are approximately half the size of those used in a standard approach. The smaller incisions and new techniques to expose the joint may result in short-term advantages such as a quicker rehabilitation, less pain, and a shorter hospitalization, according to some reports. The minimally invasive approach to the total knee replacement is appropriate for non-obese patients who have reasonable motion without significant deformity. Hospitalization may be reduced to 1 to 3 days among these patients, and the need for an extended stay for inpatient rehabilitation may be reduced or eliminated in most patients.

Implants used in Knee Replacement: In Knee Replacement surgery damaged joint lining is removed and replaces the joint surface with metal or plastic implant. These days’ knee replacement implants have been modified in order to provide the best possible functioning with long lasting results and efforts are constantly made for the same. On basis the medical condition of the patient surgeon decides upon the Implant to be used for Knee Replacement.

                       
Knee replacement surgery in India has become most popular among international patients for its nominal cost. The well-versed orthopedic hospitals in India provide the great care on the abroad patients for those approach and expertise of giving successful knee replacement surgery in India. It is an orthopedic surgery performed by specially trained orthopedic surgeons in India with high success rates.

The international orthopedic patients are attracted towards India to undergo knee replacement surgery mainly for less economic cost of the surgery. Orthopedic surgeons performing knee replacement surgery in India are well trained and follow the international standard treatment protocols.