arthroplasty

I would like to draw attention to this excellent article on knee replacements. This should answer most questions about the design of the prostheses and what each kind of prosthesis is trying to achieve.

After going through the procedure of knee replacement surgery it can be devastating to find that the pain in the knee has persisted. This paper discusses the possible reasons why this might occur.

There are a number of problems which which are the commoner causes of persistent pain after a knee replacement -

Knee replacement patients are generally in the ‘autumn of their days’. It’s important to ensure your family is part of the education process when knee replacement surgery is pending. Their support is critical for a successful rehab which can take months after surgery. Ask that they attend the pre-op clinic with you so any questions they have can be answered. Like you, they will want to know about the risks involved in surgery, the medications you will find it necessary to take, the rehab protocol and in general, how they can assist your recovery.

Although the first knee replacements were attempted just after the second world war, modern knee replacements were really only developed in the 1960s, some ten years or so after hip replacements were fairly routine.

Key articles on partial knee replacement, in date order of publication, that we have reviewed/interpreted for you include -