Total Knee Replacement Surgery

Severe knee arthritis changes the small things first. You take the lift instead of the stairs, plan outings around where you can sit down, and need two attempts to get up from a chair. Eventually the pain follows you to bed.

In a total knee replacement (total knee arthroplasty), your surgeon removes the worn cartilage and a thin layer of bone from the end of your thigh bone (femur) and the top of your shin bone (tibia). Both ends are capped with metal components, and a medical-grade plastic spacer sits between them so the joint glides smoothly again. If the back of your kneecap is badly worn, it can be resurfaced with a plastic button too.

For most people it brings lasting relief. The new knee won't feel exactly like the one you were born with, but most people stop planning their day around the pain.

At Prakash Hospital, your orthopaedic surgeon and our physiotherapy team plan the operation and the rehab together. We usually get you on your feet within 24 hours of surgery, because early movement makes a real difference to how well the knee bends later. If only one part of your knee is damaged, a partial knee replacement may be enough, and we'll tell you if that's the case.

The most common reason is osteoarthritis, where the cartilage that cushions the joint wears away until bone grinds on bone. X-rays show a narrowed joint space and bony spurs, and in advanced cases the knee starts to bow inward or outward. Surgery is considered once the damage is advanced and other treatment has stopped working.

Recovery is a steady climb, though not a straight line. Some days the knee will feel stiff and swollen for no obvious reason. Doing your exercises every day matters as much to the final result as the surgery does.