Knee Treatment

Knee joint replacement is a procedure that involves replacing an injured or affected knee with an artificial joint, or prosthesis that is mostly made of inert metal alloys, ceramic, and polymers. During the surgery, the damaged cartilage and bone are removed from your joint and replaced with a prosthetic component that takes over the shape and movement of a natural joint. The three core areas involved in knee joint replacement are:

• The lower portion of the thigh bone (Femur),
• The upper end of the shinbone (Tibia), and
• Behind the kneecap known as patella

Subject to the extent of damage in your knee joint, total knee replacement or unicompartmental (partial) knee replacement surgery will be advised to you.

Because a partial knee replacement is done through a smaller incision, patients usually spend less time in the hospital and return to normal activities sooner than total knee replacement patients. The knee is divided into three major compartments:

• Medial compartment (the inside part of the knee)
• Lateral compartment (the outside part)
• Patellofemoral compartment (the front of the knee between the kneecap and thighbone)

Advanced Osteoarthritis that is limited to a single compartment may be treated with a unicompartmental knee replacement. The medial compartment of the knee joint degeneration is the most common deformity of arthritis. During this procedure, the damaged compartment is replaced with metal and plastic.

• The healthy cartilage and bone, as well as all of the ligaments, are preserved
• Patients feel lighter and more natural than total knee replacement
• Comes back to all his normal life quite earlier than total knee replacement.
• The incision is smaller, blood loss is also less so shorter recovery period
• Hospital length of stay is also lesser

It is very important to do proper case analysis before advising the Partial or Unicompartmental Knee Replacement (UKA),

• The extent of damage to the Knee joint/Stage of Arthritis
• Weight of the patient
• Ligament condition
• Alignment of the knee

Any of the factors if not fitting then the case shouldn’t be considered for UKA

Total knee replacement (TKR) Surgery is one of the most commonly performed Surgical treatments around the World with very good outcomes if performed by a skilled and experienced orthopedic surgeon.

The purpose of the surgical procedure is to achieve pain-free movement again, with full functionality of the joint, correct deformity, and recreate a stable joint with a full range of motion.

Total Knee replacement is most commonly done:

• The extent of damage to the Knee joint/Stage of Arthritis
• Weight of the patient
• Ligament condition
• Alignment of the knee

Total knee arthroplasty is chosen when the patient has serious complaints and functional limitations. The surgery takes some 40-60 minutes and involves the placement of the three-part prosthesis.

Total knee replacement

• Apart from the femur,
• Apart from the tibia,
• A polyethylene shock-absorbing disc as a substitute for Meniscus and
• Sometimes a replacement patella.
• A high comfort insert design is chosen to achieve this.

The perfect prosthesis doesn’t exist every prosthesis must be different and the most appropriate size and shape are chosen on a patient by patient basis and therefore it is always good to use technological aids like Robotic Assisted Knee replacement to avoid any human error in measurement and make the procedure more precise and controlled with maximum success.

There are three basic steps to a knee replacement procedure.

• Prepare the bone: The damaged cartilage surfaces at the ends of the femur and tibia are removed along with a small amount of underlying bone to remove the diseased part and create a room for implant/ prosthesis but the implant thickness is always minimal and replicates the natural bone structure and shape
• Position the metal/ creamic implants: The removed cartilage and bone is replaced with metal/ ceramic components that recreate the surface of the joint. These parts may be cemented or “press-fit” into the bone as per the specifications
• Insert a spacer: A medical-grade plastic spacer is inserted between the metal components to create a smooth gliding surface.
• Resurface the patella: The undersurface of the patella (kneecap) is resurfaced and replaced with a plastic button if required depending upon the case.

Once the procedure is completed, your progress will be monitored and post-surgery care will be administered. With advanced medical procedures today, recovery is quicker and in many cases, the hospital stay is minimized.

An Introduction to Robotic Knee Replacement Surgery

Robotic Knee Replacement Surgery is a highly advanced and sophisticated surgical procedure for knee joint replacement. India’s first-ever Robotic-assisted unicondylar knee Replacement Surgery was successfully pioneered by Dr. Narendra Vaidya at Lokmanya Hospitals, Pune, in India.

The highly advanced Robotic arm-assisted Surgical System is a technologically advanced knee surgery platform that adds an extra layer of pre-surgical planning and improved accuracy for partial and total knee replacement procedures.

This surgery employs robotic-arm assisted technology that provides the orthopedic and Joint Replacement Surgeon with a personalized surgical plan based on the patient’s unique anatomy. A 3D model of the knee joint will be used to pre-plan and assist the surgeon in performing a partial knee replacement.

Using all of this vital information the surgeon can then determine the correct size and position of the implant, which is critical to knee alignment and stability. This is a state of the art technology that enables the surgeon to replace only the damaged part of the knee to absolute perfection.

This highly advanced joint replacement surgery has it's revolution in the field of orthopedics. In earlier conventional knee replacement procedures, the surgeon had to open up a large area of the knee joint.

Moreover, there is no technical assistance and the best surgical approach is developed on approximate measurements of similarly shaped knees that operated before so chances of Human error in measurements always exist.

There is also a higher probability of blood loss and excess bone cutting in these procedures surrounding soft tissues are more likely to be damaged resulting in a prolonged healing period, pain, and discomfort to the patient.

In Robotic Arm-Assisted Knee Surgery, there is a combination of the surgeon’s skills and technology, exact measurements, and mapping that brings in almost 100% precision in prosthesis placement, which is of paramount importance in the longevity (life) of the prosthesis.

This minimally invasive surgery involves smaller incisions, less blood loss, and bone damage as well as faster recovery. It is always said that less is the damage to surrounding damage, better is the surgery and its outcomes.

Here in Robotic-Arm Assisted Knee Surgery, patients treated can experience full movement and have a very natural feel of the knee joint, as all the ligaments are preserved. Bone is just resurfaced to remove the damaged part only and placement of the implant, patellar bone is preserved, surrounding muscles and soft tissues are very well respected. This high level of precision brings more perfection and helps the surgeon to achieve desired outcomes in a better way.

Lokmanya group of hospitals has always believed in providing the best quality treatment and services for the best outcomes and maximum patient satisfaction right here in our own country it is our strong belief that if technological expertise joins hands with human skills then there is always an improvement in terms of precision, perfection, and results