Below is an x-ray of a knee with arthritis. Cartilage that protects the ends of the bones does not appear on the x-rays. Thus there is a space between the bones. In the right part of the x-ray, the cartilage has worn away, revealing how raw bone now rubs against raw bone. Surgery is inevitable.

Osteoarthritis is the most common degenerative disease of the knee joint, which causes pain, stiffness, limping, swelling and instability. The surgical procedure of total knee replacement is a safe and reliable operation that can relieve the patients pain and stiffness and return them to most activities they enjoy. The goal is to give the patients a stable, pain-free joint to improve their life quality.

When the knee joint has been damaged by trauma or a disease such as arthritis, degeneration of its bony surfaces will occur. The surfaces are covered with a protective layer called articulating cartilage. It is this protective coat that wears and causes raw bone to rub on raw bone.

Knee replacement surgery requires the resurfacing of the bony surfaces of the knee joint. It is not to remove the whole joint, but merely to resurface the diseased or traumatized bony edges. Technical advances have given us new materials to replace the problem knee. We choose the best design for the patients after careful diagnosis of their particular problems, life style and age.

Our orthopaedic surgeons have the clinical expertise of over 2000 performed total knee replacements. Additionally the newest technology is used, an intraoperative navigation system, which allows the surgeon to place the endoprostheses in a perfect position and therefore provide the best longevity of the artificial knee joint.

Recovery times vary, but most patients return to their normal activities in 10-12 weeks.