PARTIAL KNEE REPLACEMENT

A knee replacement surgery consist in removing the bone and cartilage of the joint damaged by arthritis and replacing these structures with highly biocompatible metallic and plastic components that form an artificial joint, or prosthesis

When osteoarthritis is isolated and affects only one portion of the knee, usually the medial compartment, a Partial Knee Replacement (also known as
uni-compartmental knee replacement) may be the preferred choice. This allows you to preserve the healthy unaffected cartilage,
bone and ligament structures of your knee.

A Medial Partial Knee Replacement will replace only the diseased medial side of the knee with the following components
in order to mimic the natural load bearing surfaces:

A femoral component, that replaces the diseased portion of the thigh bone.
A tibial component, that replaces the diseased portion of the shin bone.
A plastic insert between the femoral component and the tibial baseplate, that replaces the cartilage function allowing
the thigh and shin bones to slide on each other.

Why partial knee replacement?

Partial knee replacement is one of the least-invasive and most conservative options for patients with osteoarthritis affecting only one compartment of the knee. 
The benefits of a successful partial knee replacement include:
 

Preservation of more of your own natural structures

Healthy, unaffected cartilage, bone, soft tissue and ligaments are kept intact- helping to provide stability, balance, and maintain more natural knee function after surgery. With a partial knee replacement, you don’t sacrifice what is still healthy in your knee!
 

Delay, and in some cases, avoid the need of a more extensive total knee replacement

By having a partial knee replacement before the disease progresses, you may be able to delay, and, in some cases, prevent osteoarthritis from spreading and having to replace all of the three compartments of the knee with artificial implants.
 

Reduction of pain, recovery of mobility and improvement in your quality of life

Pain may be rapidly and dramatically reduced or eliminated, and you should be able to regain most of the original mobility of your knee. Knee pain and limited mobility should no longer limit your everyday activities and social life.
 

Potential for a short hospital stay and fast recovery

Partial knee replacement is a minimally-invasive procedure that uses smaller incisions, instruments and implants. This may potentially allow you to spend less time in the hospital, have a quicker recovery, and return to normal activities faster.