Some patients have developed complications following a knee replacement surgery. Others may have had to go through knee replacement revision surgery specifically due to problems associated with bone cement.

One of these problems is known as aseptic tibial loosening. This type of loosening occurs when the bond between a bone and an implant fails where no infection can be identified. Those patients who have total knee replacement surgery are at risk of experiencing this complication.

The risk is relatively low when people have knee replacement surgery in their 60s, thanks to modern prosthetics and techniques. But, according to Cedars-Sinai, the risk will increase with the age of the patient at the time of the implant decreases.

Defective bone cement could also be a primary cause of this aseptic loosening.

Aseptic loosening can cause a variety of painful side effects for the patient and the physician in charge might ultimately recommend revision surgery within three years of the initial procedure.

Signs of loosening that could be connected to bone cement complications include instability, chronic pain, persistent pain, swelling, decreased range of motion and the overall loosening of the knee implant.

High viscosity cement has been connected to tibial loosening in previous studies. For example, one research study by the National Center for Biotechnology Information identified over a dozen cases in which the knee implant failed and debonded. Those implants that used medium or low viscosity cement did not indicate signs of debonding whereas high viscosity cement was connected to the possibility of tibial loosening.

People who have to go total knee replacement surgery are typically those patients who have severe damage due to an injury or arthritis. These problems make it difficult for the patient to carry out simple activities like climbing stairs or walking. In more severe cases, these patients even suffer pain while lying down or sitting, using walking supports and medications in conjunction with other non-surgical treatments have failed to address the underlying pain, total knee replacement surgery might be the only option.

Total knee replacement surgery was originally performed in 1968 and a variety of different techniques and improvements in materials have occurred since then that have enhanced the effectiveness of the procedure. According to OrthoInfo by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, more than 600,000 knee replacements were performed every year in the United States.

Some patients who went through knee replacement surgery allege that they never knew about the risk of aseptic tibial loosening or that their mobility could be severely impacted. These patients have reported issues to their doctor as shortly as a few days or weeks after implantation. If this applies to your situation, you may have grounds to pursue a lawsuit.