Brief description

Knee joint surgery

Knee joint structure
The knee joint is made up of the femur (the thigh bone), the tibia (the shin bone), the patella (the kneecap) and a variety of cartilages. Several muscles and ligaments control the motion of the knee and protect it from damage at the same time. Two ligaments on either side of the knee, called the medial and lateral collateral ligaments, stabilize the knee from side-to-side.
When osteoarthritis, or degenerative arthritis, develops in the knee, the gap in the joint narrows, the cartilages on the joint are worn out and even damaged. Patients report pain with activities, stiffness of the knee, deformity of the joint, and limited range of motions. As a result, normal daily life is restricted.

Structure of artificial knee joint
An artificial knee joint is made up of two sections: metal and plastic cushion. The metal section includes a femur, a tibia and made with either titanium or cobalt-chromium alloy and patella; and the plastic cushion made of high-density polyethylene (PE) is attached to the metal tibia and patella, and forms a smooth joint surface like the cartilage and the femur. In replacement surgery, three sections replace the originally degenerative joint surface in order to let patients resume free motions.

Indications

Osteoarthritis, or commonly known as bone spurs, rheumatic arthritis, traumatic arthritis, gout arthritis, and arthritis induced by other diseases.

Specialists

Treatment