Common and serious knee replacement complications

While knee implants give a second possibility for many patients to walk and experience more normal life changes. Most complicated is an implant loosening that can be triggered at the moment of surgery by an incorrect implant or poor placement. The loosening of implants is a primary source of revision surgery.

Although common, Metallosis can occur after surgery to replace the knee. Metallosis may happen when metal implant parts press against each other and discharge small metal droplets into the ankle joint and bloodstream.

Common knee surgical problems include:

  • Swelling and stiffness
  • Disease and soreness
  • Disease of the nerve and tissue
  • Blood clots

This can occur when the plastic cushion wearing down from heavy use divides the femoral and tibial parts. This generally requires a couple of years to happen and requires revision surgery.

Joint illness is also unusual — happening in less than 2 percent of patients — but after knee substitution operation is regarded as one of the most severe problems. Infections are generally associated with problems of sterility and the hospital where the surgery occurs.

Many of these predominant problems go away or improve considerably within a few weeks, but after surgery rehabilitation typically takes several months. But to correct some problems, revision surgery may be required.

In order to prevent the infection or replacement of faulty implants, patients may need surgery. Thousands of individuals have lodged lawsuits over these serious problems for knee replacements.

Knee replacement surgery is suggested when pain is not alleviated by conservative medicines such as physical therapy, braces, injections of steroids and pro-inflammatory medicines.

Knee replacement surgery is recommended when progressive medicines such as physical therapy, bracelets, steroid injections or pro-inflammatory medicines do not alleviate pain.

The choice to have a complete versus a partial replacement of the knee is based on the advice of a doctor after completing a complete assessment of the patient.

A partial replacement of the knee is a procedure that resurfaces one or two (unicompartmental) ends of the knee. For the area of the knee, they resurface, partial implant parts are designated: medial uxnicondylar part, lateral unicondylar element, and patellofemoral part.

A partial replacement of the knee may also include a knee osteotomy in which a surgeon removes or adds a bone wedge to the tibia or femur to remove some of the weight from the damaged knee portion.

When medications, therapies and other operations do not function, the next stage to reclaim mobility is surgery. Complete substitution of the knee can restore a patient to operate or return to a stronger standard of living.

The knee joint develops where the tibia (shinbone) and fibula (passes near the tibia) meet with both the femur (thighbone). Located on the front of the knee, the patella (kneecap) passes up and down against the bone. Ligaments, muscles, and cartilage connect these bones to help shape the joint hinge and offer the joint its flexibility.

As per the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, more than 90% of knee replacement patients experience a significant reduction in knee pain.

Recipients can replace a partial knee or replace a complete knee. The difference depends on the situation and the amount of stress of the recipient.