Joint Replacement Center, Parekh Hospital  
Hip Replacement
Knee Replacement
Hip Replacement, Knee Replacement
 
Hip Replacement
Knee Replacement
 
Knee Replacement
 
Anatomy of the knee
   
 
The anatomy of the knee consists of bones, ligaments, cartilages and tendons.

The bones involved are the femur (the right bone). The Tibia (the shinbone) and the patella (the knee cap). The ligaments involved are collateral and cruciate ligaments. Ligaments are another type of soft tissue. They hold the bones of the joint together.

Cartilage is a layer of smooth, soft tissue. It covers the ends of the thigh bone and shin bone, and it lines the underside of the kneecap. Healthy cartilage absorbs stress and allows the knee to glide easily without pain. Tendons attach the muscles to the bones.

The knee joint allows us to move in different ways. The move-ments are called extension, flexion and rotation. A healthy knee bends easily because the joint absorbs stress and glides smoothly. This allows you to walk, squat and turn without pain. But when the knee is damaged, the joint may lose its ability to cushion stress. You may feel pain during movement or even when you are at rest. The knee is a hinge point formed where the thigh bone and shin bone meet. When the knee is healthy, the joint moves freely. This is because the joint is covered with slippery tissue and powered by large muscles.
 
Diseases of the knee
 
 
Malformations : Knock-Kneed (Valgus) or Bow-Legged (Varus) knee
Cartilage Degeneration
Osteoarthritis
Secondary Osteoarthritis
Accidents-Resulting in injury to bone or joint parts.
Osteoarthritis
Secondary Osteoarthritis
Accidents-Resulting in injury to bone or joint parts
 
Symptoms
 
 
Pain on walking, standing or on moving the joint
Progressive reduction in the distance you can walk without pain
Hardly any relief from pain even on resting & with painkillers
Noises from the joint while moving them
Difficulty in using stairs, toilet and getting up from floor or chair
Sensation of locking of the knee joint
Deformity of the knee joint
Pain at night/rest or pain requiring regular pain killers
 
 
Over time, wear and tear occurs due to poor alignment between Femur and Tibia on the medical side (Inside) or on the lateral side (Outside)

When one or more parts of the knee are damaged, joint movement suffers. Over time, cartilage starts to crack or wear away. Because cartilage cannot fully repair itself, the damage may continue to increase. At First, your knee may just be a little stiff. But as the bones of the joint begin rubbing together, you're likely to feel pain. Years of normal use can cause cartilage to crack and wear away. The first stage of destruction by arthritis involves the development of osteophytes (bony outgrowth). And over time, even walking causes these sharp osteophytes to erode the ligament, which can lead to complete destruction of the knee.
 
What is Total Knee Replacement?
   
 
In principle, Total Knee Replacement or TKR is the replacement of the diseased knee joint by an artificial implant. Many decades ago, the relatively simple structure of the knee joint-the condyle of femur and distal tibia- had inspired surgeons and medical technicians to create an artificial copy, and in the course of time. Follow-up examinations and improvements in operative methods and materials have led to great progress, and the optimization of total nee prosthesis.

The knee prosthesis is designed to simulate the human anatomy of knee joint and is comprised of a femoral component, tibial base plate, polythyene insert and patellar components.

The femoral component will fit in the condyle portion of femur bone; the tibial base plate will fit on the distal tibia, polyethylene insert will act like the cartilages, the patella component will glide smoothly over the polyethylene insert, thus allowing you to walk, aquat and turn without pain.

These components are made up, of metal ceramic or polyethylene. All these materials have been specially developed for medical purpose with good tissue tolerance and allow the function to be as painless and lasting as possible.
 
Having your knee replaced?
   
 
Over the years your knee joint takes many stresses and strains during daily activities. When a disease process or injury to your knee occurs, the cartilage surfaces of the knee joint degenerate or wear out.

During total knee replacement surgery, the diseased and / or arthritic ends of the bones are removed. A metal component is secured to the femur, and plastic components are attached to the tibia and patella. In this way, the smooth surfaces of the knee joint are restored. Pain-free motion is again possible and it works as a normal as a normal knee joint.

For each implant type, there is a wide range of models manufactured in different sizes as the anatomy of the knee varies from one individual to another. The surgeon will prepare for the operation on your knee joint with a graphic plan complied on the basis of X-rays and will thus determine the model, size and position of the implant parts.