Knee replacement and treatment options

The knee is the largest joint in the body, made of bones, cartilage, ligaments and tendons.

• The lower end of the femur (thigh bone) rotates on the top of the tibia (shin bone), while the patella (knee cap) slides into a groove on the femur.
• Cartilage covers the surface of the femur and tibia, reducing friction as those bones move. The meniscus is a curved part of cartilage that acts as a shock absorber, increases the contact area and deepens the knee joint.
• The synovial membrane lines the joint, lubricates it and seals it into a joint capsule.
• Ligaments and tendons are tough, connective tissues that surround the knee joint and provide stability, support and movement control.
• The knee also includes two groups of muscles: the quadriceps, located on the front of the thigh bone, and the hamstrings, located on the back of the thigh bone. These muscle groups help you straighten and bend your legs at the knees.

The most common cause of knee pain is arthritis. Swelling, pain and stiffness in the joint are typical symptoms of arthritis. Arthritis comes in several common forms:

• Osteoarthritis is caused by mechanical wear and tear on the joint
• Rheumatoid arthritis is a complex autoimmune disease that attacks joints in the body
• Traumatic arthritis is a form of osteoarthritis that occurs after a physical injury to the joint

Treatment options for knee pain include physical therapy, medication, nerve block injections or surgical repair. The decision to undergo knee surgery is a collaborative one between you, your family, your primary care physician and your orthopedic surgeon. At Parkview Ortho Hospital, subspecialized Ortho NorthEast (ONE) surgeons provide you the highest level of knee surgery expertise and skill.

Arthroscopic knee surgery

If you have suffered an injury to knee ligaments such as the ACL, PCL or MCL, or torn your meniscus, your orthopedic surgeon may recommend a minimally invasive arthroscopic procedure to repair the injury. These procedures only require small incisions, pencil-thin instruments and use a miniature video camera to give surgeons a high-quality view of the joint.

This type of surgery has become much less invasive, reducing recovery time, limiting scarring and often reducing pain. In fact, many of the surgeries are performed as outpatient procedures at our dedicated outpatient SurgeryONE facility, meaning you can likely return home and begin recovering the day of surgery.

Total knee replacement

Total knee replacement, also called arthroplasty, can be an extremely successful procedure. The procedure involves removing the damaged bone and cartilage and replacing it or resurfacing it with orthopedic implants. A total knee replacement can help relieve pain that can’t be controlled by other treatments while allowing you to still return to a high level of activity.

You may be a candidate for the latest advancement in knee replacement surgery: the ConforMIS iTotal® knee implant. This procedure involves custom, individual knee implants based on a CT scan of your knee. This means your implants are based off your own anatomy and are perfectly sized and aligned to your unique knee structure. Hear from our subspecialized ONE surgeons about the ConforMIS iTotal® knee and what it can mean for you.