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Overview of Total Knee Arthroplasty
A total knee arthroplasty is another name for a total knee replacement. This procedure is a surgery in which a natural knee is replaced with a prosthetic that caps the ends of the bonds that form the knee joint. A new kneecap is also implanted. The prosthetic knee is made up of materials like metal and plastic.
A total knee arthroplasty is an invasive surgery with risks, but can provide a good option for someone who is suffering from arthritis or a severe knee injury. Getting a total knee arthroplasty can provide relief from pain and can improve movement.
Causes
Hopkins Medicine explains that there are various types of arthritis that could affect the knees, and if they are serious enough, necessitate a total knee arthroplasty.
Medicine Net says that there are over 100 identified types of arthritis, but the main types of arthritis affecting the knees that may result in a total knee arthroplasty include:
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative form of arthritis affecting mostly middle aged and older people. This can cause the joint cartilage and bones around the knees to break down.
Rheumatoid arthritis causes inflammation of the connective tissues (synovial membrane) of the knee, and can subsequently cause too much synovial fluid to build up. This condition can cause pain and stiffness in the affected joint.
Traumatic arthritis is a form of arthritis that develops as a result of injury to the knee. This form of arthritis may do damage to the knee cartilage.
Treatment
A total knee arthroplasty is usually not the first treatment for arthritis or injury. In most cases, other treatments like anti-inflammatory medications, supplements, pain medications, and physical therapy may be used to relieve symptoms of arthritis and injury.
Though these treatments cannot cure degenerative arthritis, they can allow a person to experience less pain associated with their affected knee or knees.
Sometimes, less invasive surgeries like a partial knee replacement may be used before a total knee arthroplasty, reports OrthoInfo. However, in severe cases in which damage is throughout the knee, a total knee arthroplasty may be necessary to alleviate pain.
Complications
Any surgery can come with risks. Some of the complications that can occur with a total knee arthroplasty include:
- bleeding infection
- blood clots in the legs or lungs
- fracture of surrounding bone
- pain or stiffness
Problems also may occur with the medical devices used in the total knee arthroplasty. In some cases, the replacement joint may become loose, or may not work as intended. Sometimes this may be due to a design flaw in the prosthetic itself. In other instances, the bone cement, which is used to attach the replacement knee to the natural bone, may not hold as well as it should. This can result in loosening of the replacement.
If a knee replacement device fails, a patient may have to undergo a revisions surgery, and would incur increased risk of infection than from an initial surgery.
Lawsuits Filed
Some patients have filed lawsuits against companies that make knee replacement systems or bone cement, if they believe that the device is defective. Defective medical devices like these can cause serious injury to patients.
