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Patient Instructions

Knee joint replacement is surgery to replace a knee joint with an artificial joint. The artificial joint is called a prosthesis.

You may receive general anesthesia before this surgery. This means you will be unconscious and unable to feel pain. Or, you may have a spinal or epidural anesthesia. In this kind of anesthesia, medicine is put into your back to make you numb below your waist.

After you receive anesthesia, your surgeon will make an incision (cut) over your knee to open it up. Then your surgeon will:

• Move your kneecap (patella) out of the way, then shape the ends of your thigh bone and shin bone to fit the prosthesis. Your surgeon will also cut the underside of your kneecap to prepare it for the artificial pieces that will be attached there.
• Fasten the two parts of the prosthesis to your bones. One part will be attached to the end of your thigh bone and the other part will be attached to your shin bone. Both parts will then be attached to the underside of your kneecap. Your surgeon will use a special bone cement to attach these parts.

Usually, artificial knees have metal parts. Now, though, some surgeons are using some different materials, including metal on metal, ceramic on ceramic, or ceramic on plastic.

Knee joint replacement may be recommended for:

• Severe arthritis (osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis) of the knee that has not gotten better with medicine, injections, and physical therapy after 6 months or more of treatment. Your doctor may recommend knee replacement for these problems:
  • Inability to sleep through the night because of knee pain
  • Knee pain that has not improved with other treatment
  • Knee pain that limits or keeps you from being able to do your normal activities, especially your daily activities such as bathing, preparing meals, household chores, and other things.
• Some tumors that affect the knee

Even when a knee replacement is needed, some medical problems may lead your doctor to recommend that you not have it done. Some of these problems are:

• A knee infection
• Morbid obesity (weighing over 300 pounds)
• Very weak quadriceps, the muscles in the front of your thigh. Weak quadriceps could make it very hard for you to walk and use your knee.
• Unhealthy skin around your knee
• Severe mental dysfunction
• Poor blood flow in the leg from peripheral vascular disease. This could keep the incision from healing.
• A terminal disease, such as cancer, that has spread

Risks for any surgery are:

• Breathing problems
• Infection, including in the lungs, urinary tract, and chest
• Bleeding
• Heart attack or stroke during surgery

The risks of this surgery are:

• Dislocation of the artificial joint
• Infection that requires removing the joint
• Loosening of the artificial joint over time
• Pneumonia
• Allergic reaction to the artificial joint
• Injury to nerves or blood vessels
• Blood clots that may form in your leg (deep vein thrombosis) or your lungs (pulmonary embolism)

Always tell your doctor or nurse what drugs you are taking, even drugs, supplements, or herbs you bought without a prescription

During the 2 weeks before your surgery:

• Prepare your home.
• Two weeks before surgery you may be asked to stop taking drugs that make it harder for your blood to clot. These include aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), naproxen (Naprosyn, Aleve), and other drugs.
• Ask your doctor which drugs you should still take on the day of your surgery.
• If you have diabetes, heart disease, or other medical conditions, your surgeon will ask you to see your doctor who treats you for these conditions.
• Tell your doctor if you have been drinking a lot of alcohol, more than 1 or 2 drinks a day.
• If you smoke, you need to stop. Ask your doctor or nurse for help. Smoking will slow down wound and bone healing. Your recovery overall may not be as good if you keep smoking.
• Always let your doctor know about any cold, flu, fever, herpes breakout, or other illness you may have before your surgery.
• You may want to visit a physical therapist to learn some exercises to do before surgery and to practice using crutches or a walker.

On the day of your surgery:

• You will usually be asked not to drink or eat anything for 6 to 12 hours before the procedure.
• Take your drugs your doctor told you to take with a small sip of water.
• Your doctor or nurse will tell you when to arrive at the hospital.

You will stay in the hospital for 3 to 5 days, But full recovery will take from 2 to 3 months to a year.

After surgery:

• You will have a large dressing (bandage) over your knee. A small drainage tube will be placed during surgery to help drain fluids that build up in your knee joint after surgery. It will be removed when you no longer need it.
• You will have an IV (a catheter, or tube, that is inserted into a vein, usually in your arm).
• You may have a Foley catheter inserted into your bladder to drain urine. Usually it is removed 2 or 3 days after surgery.
• You will wear special compression stockings on your legs. These stockings improve blood flow and reduce your risk of getting blood clots.
• Most people will also receive blood-thinning medicine to reduce the risk of blood clots more.
• You may be taught how to use a device called a spirometer and do deep breathing and coughing exercises. Doing these exercises will help prevent pneumonia.
• Your doctor will prescribe pain medicines to control your pain. Your doctor may also prescribe antibiotics to prevent infection.

You will be encouraged to start moving and walking as soon as the first day after surgery.

• You will be helped out of bed to a chair on the first day after surgery. When you are in bed, bend and straighten your ankles often to prevent blood clots.
• You will be encouraged to do as much you can for yourself as possible by the second day. This includes going to the bathroom or taking walks in the hallways, always with someone helping you.
• Some surgeons recommend using a continuous passive motion machine (CPM) while you are in bed. The CPM bends your knee for you. Over time, the rate and amount of bending will increase. If you are using one, always keep your leg in the CPM when you are in bed. It will help speed your recovery and reduce pain, bleeding, and risk of infection.

Some people need a short stay in a rehabilitation center after they leave the hospital and before they go home. At a rehab center, you will learn how to safely do your daily activities on your own.

The results of a total knee replacement are often excellent. The operation relieves pain for most people, and most people do not need help walking after they fully recover. Most artificial knee joints last 10 to 15 years. Some last as long as 20 years before they loosen and need to be replaced again.

Total knee replacement; Knee arthroplasty; Knee replacement - total; Tricompartmental knee replacement

Crockarell JR, Guyton JL. Arthroplasty of the knee. In: Canale ST, Beatty JH, eds. Campbell's Operative Orthopaedics. 11th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Mosby Elsevier; 2007:chap 6.

Jones CA, Beaupre LA, Johnston DW, Suarez-Almazor ME. Total joint arthroplasties: current concepts of patient outcomes after surgery. Rheum Dis Clin North Am. 2007; 33(1): 71-86.

Updated by: C. Benjamin Ma, MD, Assistant Professor, Chief, Sports Medicine and Shoulder Service, UCSF Dept of Orthopaedic Surgery. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.