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Knee replacement surgery
Discover the proper procedure for your needs
  • Every patient is different. You deserve a personalized solution for your unique anatomy
  • Every patient is different. You deserve a personalized solution for your unique anatomy
  • Every patient is different. You deserve a personalized solution for your unique anatomy
  • Every patient is different. You deserve a personalized solution for your unique anatomy

If your knee pain or limited knee mobility do not improve after conservative non surgical knee procedures, your doctor may recommend you undergo a knee replacement surgery.

In this procedure, the bone and cartilage of the joint damaged by arthritis are removed and replaced with highly biocompatible metallic and plastic components that form an artificial knee joint, or knee prosthesis.

 

Total knee replacement pictures - GMK Sphere

A femoral component replaces the diseased portion of the thigh bone.

A tibial component replaces the diseased portion of the shin bone.

A plastic insert between the femoral component and the tibial baseplate replaces the cartilage function allowing the thigh and shin bones to slide on each other.

According to the location and severity of your knee arthritis, your surgeon will decide between a partial knee replacement or total knee replacement.

Osteoarthritis
Unicompartmental knee
Partial knee replacement surgery

When osteoarthritis is isolated and affects only one portion of the knee joint, usually the medial compartment of knee, partial knee replacement surgery (also known as unicompartmental knee replacement) may be the preferred choice.

This is one of the least-invasive and most conservative treatment options for patients with osteoarthritis affecting only one knee compartment and allows you to preserve the healthy unaffected cartilage, bone, and ligament structures of your knee anatomy.

Unicompartmental knee

Partial knee replacement surgery offers several benefits, including:

Preservation of more of your natural knee structures Healthy, unaffected cartilage, bone, soft tissue, and ligaments are kept intact, helping to provide stability, balance, and maintain more natural knee function after surgery.
Reduction in knee pain, recovery of mobility, and improvement in quality of life Pain may be rapidly and dramatically reduced or eliminated, and you should be able to regain most of the original mobility of your knee.
Potential to delay or avoid total knee replacement By undergoing partial knee replacement before the disease progresses, you may be able to delay or prevent osteoarthritis from spreading and having to replace all three compartments of the knee with artificial implants.
Potential for a short hospital stay and quicker recovery Partial knee replacement is a minimally invasive procedure that uses smaller incisions, instruments, and implants. This may allow you to spend less time in the hospital, have a quicker recovery, and return to normal activities faster.
 
Unicompartmental knee

If you are a candidate for partial knee replacement surgery, the Medacta MOTO Medial Partial Knee may be right for you!

MOTO Medial is an innovative unicompartmental knee specifically designed to replicate the anatomy of the medial compartment of your knee during partial knee replacement surgery.

MOTO Medial was created from a very large database of over 45,000 CT and MRI scans, offering size and shape options to help improve the fit for every patient.

Arthritis
Reduction in knee pain
Knee stability
Total knee replacement surgery

Total knee replacement surgery is recommended when arthritis affects more than one compartment of your knee, you have ligament deficiency or damage, or you require correction of intra-articular deformities.

During total knee replacement surgery, the entire surface of the femur and tibia are replaced with metallic and plastic components. The undersurface of the kneecap may also be replaced with an implant made of plastic.

Video

With almost 50 years of history, total knee replacement surgery is a very common and safe procedure for the treatment of severe knee arthritis. The main benefits of a successful total knee replacement are:

Reduction in knee pain Pain may be rapidly and dramatically reduced or eliminated.
Recovery of mobility You may regain close to the original mobility of your knee.
Improvement in quality of life Your everyday activities and social life may no longer be limited by pain and reduced mobility.
 
Total knee replacement pictures - GMK Sphere

Knee stability after knee replacement is important as you return to your everyday life. Proper stability assists with daily activities, including walking, going up and down stairs, moving from a sitting to standing position, or getting into a car.

The GMK Sphere knee implant is designed to provide a more natural knee motion that replicates the movement of the healthy knee. It allows knee stability in the inner side through a ball-in-socket mechanism.

After total knee replacement surgery, many patients prefer a stable knee design with a medial ball-in-socket compared to other conventional knee designs, as they feel more natural, more stable, and stronger during common daily activities.2

Did You Know
Metal hypersensitivity might arise from prolonged contact with metals3,4. It affects about 10% to 15% of the general population3.
knee replacement pictures - SensiTiN

In knee replacement surgery, alternative options can reduce the risk of hypersensitivity after knee replacement and the occurrence of undesired effects 5.

To reduce patients’ exposure to metals, Medacta has designed SensiTiN coating, which is made of a highly biocompatible material characterized by a gold-yellow color.

SensiTiN coating firmly attaches to the surface of the knee replacement and acts as a barrier between the implant and the surrounding tissues 6.

This property makes SensiTiN-coated implants the preferred choice for treating patients with metal hypersensitivity, and it is also considered a valid means of reducing the likelihood of hypersensitivity after knee replacement 7,8,9.

Medical tips
Assistence
Before knee replacement surgery
Knee replacement surgery

Medical preparation

Before undergoing your total knee replacement surgery, your doctor will provide you with a list of preoperative appointments. You will also undergo a complete physical examination to assess your general condition and to ensure that there are no factors that could interfere with your knee replacement surgery.

Knee replacement surgery

Home preparation

Planning for your return home after knee replacement surgery is crucial for your recovery. We recommend having someone stay with you for 24 hours a day during the first week after your surgery. If no one is available, your medical team can evaluate alternative options. To prevent accidents at home, we further recommend removing loose rugs and installing handrails in your bath and along the stairs.

Patient Optimized Pathway (POP) logo

POP - Patient Optimized Pathway

The Patient Optimized Pathway is an interactive application designed to allow your surgeon and medical care team to accompany you throughout the entire episode of care. POP gives you information on your knee replacement surgery, rehabilitation support, and constant connection to your care team through a dedicated chat and useful reminders and reports. It's a digital tool personalized for you!

Knee surgery
Anesthesia
Pain after surgery
The day of your knee replacement surgery

The knee replacement surgery will take about 1 to 2 hours. It will be preceded by pre-surgical preparation and followed by monitoring in the recovery room.

You will spend more time in the pre-operative area and recovery than you will in the operation room, due to the time needed for your surgery preparation, administration of anesthesia, and monitoring as you recover from the anesthetic.

Special care is taken to relieve pain after the knee replacement surgery. If an overnight stay is required, do not hesitate to call for help, even in the middle of the night. Regular checks will be made by the nurses.

Knee replacement surgery
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2) Hallab N. et al., «Metal Sensitivity in Patients with Orthopaedic Implants», The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, vol. 83A, n. 3, pp. 428-436, 2001.
3) Hallab N. et al., «Metal Sensitivity in Patients with Orthopaedic Implants», The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, vol. 83A, n. 3, pp. 428-436, 2001.
4) Eftekhary N. et al., «Metal Hypersensitivity in Total Joint Arthroplasty», JBJS Reviews, vol. 6, n. 12, p. e1, 2018.
5) Thienpont E., «Titanium niobium nitride knee implants are not inferior to chrome cobalt components for primary total knee arthroplasty», Arch Orthop Trauma Surg, 2015.
6) Medacta: data on file.
7) Bader R. et al., «Alternative materials and solutions in total knee arthroplasty for patients with metal allergy [article in German]», Orthopade, vol. 37, n. 2, pp. 136-142, 2008.
8) Thomsen M. et al., «Pain in a chromium-allergic patient with total knee arthroplasty: disappearance of symptoms after revision with a special surface coated TKA: a case report», Acta Orthop., vol. 82, n. 3, pp. 386-388, 2011.
9) Thomsen M. et al., «Use of allergy implants in Germany: results of a survey [article in German», Orthopade, pp. 597-601, 2013.

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