The knee joint is one of the most used joints in the human body because it carries the weight of the entire body. The artificial knee joint – which was previously installed – may be exposed to pressure and movement over many years, perhaps up to 20 years, which negatively affects it and exposes it to corrosion.

Cases of resorting to reconstructive knee arthroplasty

Doctors resort to reconstructing the artificial joint in cases of corrosion or loosening of the artificial joint due to several reasons, including:

• The end of the joint’s lifespan.
• Engaging in violent activities.
• Joint infection after surgery that leads to its erosion or degeneration.
• Fractures around the knee joint.

Reconstructive knee arthroplasty

Knee reconstruction arthroplasty is a surgical procedure that follows wear and tear of the artificial knee joint. The artificial knee joint consists of four parts:

• A metal part that is installed on the surface of the femur.
• Another metal part that is installed on the surface of the tibia.
• A plastic part that connects the two previous parts together and prevents them from rubbing.
• Another plastic part covers the surface of the patella.

Knee reconstruction surgery aims to replace some parts of the joint or replace it completely according to its condition, and the specifications of the new artificial joint often differ from the specifications of the previous artificial knee joint.

Knee arthroplasty is considered a more complex surgery than the surgery to install an artificial joint for the first time, due to the following:

• The need to remove the old joint and install a new artificial knee joint during surgery.
• During the removal of an old artificial knee joint, the surgeon may need to remove some of the bone itself, so he may use bone cement to fill in the spaces of the worn or removed bone.

Bone cement is a powder that is kneaded with water to form a dough that replaces missing bone. It is also used to stabilize a new artificial joint.

• The condition of the joint may require the installation of metal braces to replace the lost bone.
• Knee reconstruction surgery takes a long time, up to three hours or more.

The surgeon determines the specifications of the new joint in terms of sizes and type of materials used based on the patient’s condition.

Get your medical consultation now at the clinics of Dr. Ibrahim Gado – Consultant Orthopedic Surgeon – by calling the numbers shown on our website.