Total Knee Replacement
Prof Prakash is an Orthpaedic Surgeon offering Total Knee Replacements in Birmingham
Total Knee Replacement in Birmingham
Prof Prakash specialises predominantly in knee and hip joint surgery especially for young adults (age 20-65). He routinely performs surgery related to sports injuries and arthritis and one of his key focuses is on Total Knee Replacement.
Total Knee Replacement
Although the procedure is called knee replacement, it would be more accurate to call it knee resurfacing. This is because the surfaces of the thigh and shin bones are skimmed to remove all the damaged cartilage and to create an even surface upon which the prosthesis can then be placed.
It is a surgical procedure which requires a very high degree of precision. Very accurate ‘balancing’ of the joint is aimed for thus creating an even gap between the bones, allowing even pressure to be transmitted. The total knee replacement is often referred to as a ‘soft tissue procedure’ as a lot of attention is paid to the ligaments while ‘balancing’ the joint. Once the surgeon is happy with the bony cuts and tension of the ligaments, metal components are used to cap the ends of the thigh and shin bones, fixing them with bone cement. A high density plastic (HDPE) is placed between the two, allowing the joint to move smoothly.
There are two types of knee replacements:
Fixed bearing – performed by the vast majority of orthopaedic surgeons
Mobile bearing –allows the knee to rotate but has not shown to have any significant advantage
The total knee replacement is a very successful operation. Its results tend to be predictable. The chances of the joint lasting ten years are in excess of 95%.
Prof Prakash’s approach: His patients are carefully selected for joint replacement. He checks to see if both the medial and the lateral compartments are significantly damaged before offering total knee replacement. If the joint can be partly saved, he offers partial knee replacement as one of the treatment options if conservative treatments have been tried and failed.
While performing this surgery, he ensures that the joint is ‘fully balanced’, both in flexion and extension, using a very highly sophisticated soft tissue distracter. This allows him to check the tension of the ligaments and at the same time he can check the gap between the bones very accurately.
https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/treatment/total-knee-replacement/