Artificial Knee Joint



Knee replacement is a very common surgical process, recommended to get rid of most kinds of chronic, knee problems. When your knee gets damaged due to reasons like injury or any kind of previous illness, then artificial knee replacement is required. Research shows that the usual age group for patients needing a knee replacement is between 60 and 80. Due to having a chronically painful knee, leading a normal life becomes very difficult wherein the knee cannot support basic movements of the body and there is an underlying fear of losing balance and becoming a victim of a fatal accident.



However, after replacing the knee, patients can lead a somewhat painless and more active lifestyle. With the advancements in modern surgical processes, knee replacement is no longer a demanding surgery and is being done in increasing numbers, particularly among patients who have a history of having 'bad knees' that are often referred to as weathered or old knees or even 'cranky knees'. This process of installing a knee joint (implant) is also known as knee arthroplasty. Artificial Knee Replacement is commonly recommended to stop the severe pain in knee, which happens due to the friction of bones with each other within a compromised or an arthritic joint. By implanting of an artificial knee joint, the pain in alleviated to a large extent and the range of motion is also increased by several notches, though complete recovery takes much longer and is seldom achieved.

Who are at risk of being diagnosed with chronic knee pain?

People suffering from osteoarthtiritis often need knee replacements due to a history of having knees that can no longer support the body weight and underperform during the most basic of bodily movements. Due to osteoarthritis, cartilages in the knee and the related bones gradually break down. Apart from this, other types of arthritis like rheumatoid arthritis from knee injury wherein degeneration in the knee joint takes place is also a common cause. Post-traumatic arthritis is another cause wherein an injury to the joint cartilage or extensive ligament damage usually takes place. Due to Avascular necrosis, blood flow to the end of the bone inside the joints becomes less-than-normal and due to this, the articular cartilage gets weakened. Further, any kind of torn cartilage or ligament fracture in the knee area could induce reasons that are deemed fit for an artificial knee replacement.

Understanding Knee Replacement Surgery

Although the procedure of surgery varies immensely from one patient to the other, usually replacing the knee takes around two-to-three hours though there are no set definitions regarding the time constraints. The entire procedure is defined by the extent of damage to the cartilage and the extent to which the damaged bone sections need external support. The attending surgeon is essentially an orthopedic surgeon who has the expertise in prescribing and surgically installing new or artificial knees. Many times, instead of undertaking comprehensive knee replacement, a supportive prosthesis is laid. There two methods for laying knee prosthesis are:

Cemented prostheses-here knee replacement is done by attaching to the bone with the help of epoxy which is a synthetic resin that is widely recommended for forming strong bonds across any kind of surface, including the human bone material.

Un-cemented prostheses-here knee replacement is done by laying bone attachments with the help of a fine mesh on the surface so that the bone can naturally grow in and around the mesh and form a stronger bond with the surrounding prosthesis.

Prostheses are mostly manufactured from plastic and metal combinations. The plastics are medically-approved formulations that pose no damage of inducing any unwanted body reaction and are not a challenge for the body's natural immune system. During the surgery, patients are given general anesthesia. Some times spinal or epidural anesthesia is also given.

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