Partial Knee Replacement

Many are familiar with the term knee replacement, also known as arthroplasty. It is a common operation that involves replacement of all surfaces of the knee and is usually performed for those suffering from degenerative disease of the knee, of severity great enough to cause significant pain and limitation of daily activities.

The knee is the joint between the femur (thigh bone) and tibia (shin bone). It is consists of 3 sets of surfaces that move against each other, one on the inner part of the knee (medial compartment), one on the outer part (lateral compartment) and one between the knee cap (patella) and the femur. In earlier stages of osteoarthritis, it is often worse in one compartment. However, if the pain was severe enough to require knee replacement, the only option was to operate on both medial and lateral compartments. This is quite extensive and can be very painful. It also removes otherwise healthy surfaces.

Now, with technological advancement and implant development, patients have an option of partial knee replacement.

In partial knee replacement, only the surfaces of the affected compartment are replaced. For many patients, this would be the medial compartment. As only one compartment is operated on, post surgical pain is less, rehabilitation can start earlier and the patients may require shorter hospital stay. 

Other benefits of partial knee replacement is the preservation of healthy joint surface., that would otherwise have been removed during a total knee replacement.

Outcomes of partial knee replacement are encouraging.

Before undergoing partial knee replacement, patients will need to be carefully assessed by trained orthopedic surgeons. The doctor will ask the patients for details of their symptoms and conduct a thorough physical examination. X-rays will be ordered and occasionally other scans as well. The doctor may also ask for blood investigations to identify the cause of the knee pain/problem.

If the careful evaluation reveals that one compartment of the knee is more severely affected and surgery is required,  partial knee replacement will be considered as one of the options. The surgeon will discuss with the patients advantages and disadvantages of partial knee replacement compared with a total knee replacement before coming to a final decision.

For patients with single compartment disease, who are considering knee replacement  but are held back because of worry about pain, partial knee replacement provides an individualised surgical option, and may well be their key to their lifestyle of choice.