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Summary
Knee replacement is surgery for people with severe knee damage. Knee replacement can relieve pain and allow you to be more active. Your doctor may recommend it if you have knee pain and medicine and other treatments are not helping you anymore.
When you have a total knee replacement, the surgeon removes damaged cartilage and bone from the surface of your knee joint and replaces them with a man-made surface of metal and plastic. In a partial knee replacement, the surgeon only replaces one part of your knee joint. The surgery can cause scarring, blood clots, and, rarely, infections. After a knee replacement, you will no longer be able to do certain activities, such as jogging and high-impact sports.
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Joint Replacement Surgery
(National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)
Available in Spanish
- Knee Replacement (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Total Knee Replacement (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) - PDF
- Total Knee Replacement (Arthroplasty) (Beyond the Basics) (UpToDate)
Latest News
- Getting Active After Knee Replacement Might Raise Hip Fracture Risk (04/18/2016, HealthDay)
Treatments and Therapies
- Preventing Blood Clots After Hip or Knee Replacement Surgery or Surgery for a Broken Hip: A Review of the Research for Adults (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality) Available in Spanish
Living With
- Knee Conditioning Program (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) - PDF
- Knee Replacement: What you can Expect (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
Images
- Knee joint replacement - slideshow Available in Spanish
- Partial knee replacement - slideshow Available in Spanish
Videos and Tutorials
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Arthritic Pain Relief through Partial Knee Replacement
(OR-Live)
- NewYork-Presbyterian, New York, NY, 5/04/2010
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Bi-Cruciate Stabilized (BCS) Total Knee System (OR-Live)
- Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, NY, 12/11/2013
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Computer Guided Knee Replacement (OR-Live)
- Broward Health North Medical Center, Deerfield Beach, FL, 6/15/2012
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Gap Balanced Total Knee Arthroplasty (OR-Live)
- Hoag Orthopedic Institute, Irvine, CA, 4/28/2012
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High Performance Partial Knee (OR-Live)
- Indiana Orthopedic Hospital, Indianapolis, IN, 5/06/2009
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Knee Pain and the Weekend Warriors (OR-Live)
- Mercy Hospital, Miami, FL, 3/17/2009
Available in Spanish
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Knee Replacement for Women with Patient-Specific Instructions (OR-Live)
- Duke University, Durham, NC, 10/28/2010
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Knee System Utilizing Personalized Solutions Instrumentation (OR-Live)
- Woodwinds Health Campus, Woodbury, MN, 12/13/2013
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Medial-Pivot Knee System (OR-Live)
- St. Thomas Hospital, Nashville, TN, 8/02/2010
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Minimally Invasive Total Knee Arthroplasty (OR-Live)
- Northwest Medical Center, Tucson, AZ, 3/5/2009
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Partial Knee with Personalized Patient Care (OR-Live)
- New Albany Surgical Hospital, New Albany, OH, 2/27/2012
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Patient Matched Instruments and Total Knee System (OR-Live)
- Intermountain Health Care Hospital, Park City, UT, 5/10/2011
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Personalized Unicompartmental Knee Implant Treats Early Stage Arthritis While Preserving Bone (OR-Live)
- Foundation Surgical Hospital, Houston, TX, 9/9/2010
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Revision Knee Surgery (OR-Live)
- JFK Memorial Hospital, Indio, CA 3/31/2010
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Revision Total Knee System (OR-Live)
- University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, 11/05/2009
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Rotating Platform Revision Knee Replacement (OR-Live)
- Spring Valley Hospital, Las Vegas, NV, 8/12/2010
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Small Incision Total Knee Arthroplasty (OR-Live)
- Mercy Hospital, Miami, FL, 3/01/2011
Available in Spanish
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Total Knee Replacement for Women (OR-Live)
- Tampa General Hospital, Tampa, FL, 5/27/2009
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Total Knee System (OR-Live)
- Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, NY, 6/17/2009
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Total Knee System in an Active Patient (OR-Live)
- Scripps Clinic, La Jolla, CA, 7/21/2009
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Total Knee System with Patient Matched Instrumentation (OR-Live)
- Mount Nittany Medical Center, State College, PA, 10/05/2010
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Tourniquetless Total Knee Arthroplasty (OR-Live)
- Midwest Orthopedics, Rush Medical College, Chicago, IL, 6/17/2011
Statistics and Research
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Commonly Prescribed Blood Thinner Associated with Higher Risk of Post-Surgery Complications (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)
Clinical Trials
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Arthroplasty (National Institutes of Health)
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Knee Replacement (National Institutes of Health)
Journal ArticlesReferences and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
Find an Expert
- Find a Doctor (American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons)
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National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
Available in Spanish
Seniors
- Older Person's Guide to Joint Replacement (AGS Foundation for Health in Aging)
Patient Handouts
- Deciding to have knee or hip replacement Available in Spanish
- Getting your home ready - knee or hip surgery Available in Spanish
- Hip or knee replacement - after - what to ask your doctor Available in Spanish
- Knee joint replacement Available in Spanish
- Knee joint replacement - discharge Available in Spanish
- Partial knee replacement Available in Spanish
