Initially you will be referred to an
Orthopaedic Surgeon, who will assess you and discuss whether
surgery is appropriate for you, and if so, which type of
implant to use. Once your operation is scheduled, you will
probably be asked to attend the hospital for pre-operative
assessment some weeks before the date of your operation.
Following your operation, you will attend an outpatient
review clinic to monitor your progress.
The Operation
The knee is opened, and muscles and
ligaments are separated so that the surgeon can access the
joint.
Using special instruments, the damaged
surfaces of the femur and tibia are removed and the lower
end of the femur is re-shaped and replaced with a metal
shell. The upper end of the shin bone (the tibia) is also
removed and is replaced with a metal plate. A plastic insert
is placed between the two metal components. Sometimes the
surgeon also removes part of the knee cap and replaces this
with a plastic “button”. The artificial parts are sometimes
cemented in place, and sometimes are simply a “press fit”,
and the patients own bone integrates into a rough surface on
the implant to fix it into place.
The joint capsule is sown back together
and the muscle layers and ligaments repositioned prior to
the skin being sutured.
After the Operation
Recovery from any operation varies from
patient to patient and is partly dependent on pre-operative
fitness levels. Post-operative rehabilitation regimes vary
from hospital to hospital and surgeon to surgeon, so it is
not possible to give any specific post-operative
instructions. In general it will take you about a week to
learn to climb stairs with crutches, about six weeks to be
able to drive, and somewhere within this period you will be
happy to take a bath without assistance. In three months
most people are back at work, free of a stick or crutches
and sleeping on the operated side. You will be given
detailed post-operative instructions by your surgeon before
you leave hospital. If you want specific exercises to carry
out which will aid your recovery ask your surgeon or the
physiotherapy department at your hospital.
