Knee joint replacement - series

The most common cause of knee damage requiring knee replacement is osteoarthritis, which is a degenerative disease of the bones of the knee which cause the surfaces of the knee joint to become irregular and rough, preventing smooth painless motion of the knee joint.

Knee joint replacement may be recommended for:

• knee osteoarthritis or arthritis, which causes knee pain that has failed to respond to conservative therapy (NSAID medication for 6 months or more)
• decreased knee function caused by arthritis
• inability to work because of knee pain
• inability to sleep through the night because of knee pain
• inability to walk more than 3 blocks because of knee pain
• loose knee prosthesis
• some knee fractures

Review Date: 08/08/2005
Reviewed By: Kevin B. Freedman, MD, MSCE, Sports Medicine, Orthopaedic Specialists, Bryn Mawr, PA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.