Knee injuries are one of the most common complications that people deal with throughout their lives. Your knees can be damaged by twisting and overextending. They're often susceptible to sports injuries and arthritis as well.
Knees have a number of moving parts, including tendons, ligaments, and the bones that make up the knee joint. Tendons are strong tissues that connect muscles and bones. Ligaments are flexible, stretchy bands that connect bones with other bones.
Since there are so many different moving parts in the knee, there are a number of ways they can be injured. A lot of different knee pain surgeries exist to address each type of common knee injury.
Most knee pain surgery is arthroscopic
Most knee surgeries are done by making a few small cuts in the knee. The surgeon inserts tools and a small camera into these cuts to observe what needs to be done. This method of looking at joints, like the knee joint, is called arthroscopy.
The most common types of knee pain surgery include:
- Knee replacement surgery
- ACL surgery
- Meniscus surgeries
Knee replacement surgery
Knee replacement surgery is also called arthroplasty. Your doctor will recommend this surgery if you have severe arthritis or were seriously injured.
Both full and partial knee replacement surgeries are available. In partial replacement surgeries, only the damaged parts of your knee joint are removed and replaced with artificial parts made of plastic or metal.
In a full replacement surgery, all parts of your knee joint and cap are replaced with metal and plastic parts. The goal of this surgery is to create new surfaces so your knee no longer hurts when its different parts touch. Recovery time is different for each person. Your doctor will order physical therapy until you have regained muscle strength and acceptable range of motion.
The surgery has risks. Blood clots can develop as well as infections. There's also the chance that the surgery will not fix your knee pain.
Revision knee replacements are another version of this surgery. Knee replacement surgeries usually wear out after 15 to 20 years. In this case, you’ll have to repeat the surgery — but this time your original replacement parts will be replaced.
ACL surgery
ACL injuries are very common — particularly in sports. Surgery is not needed for slight tears, only when your entire ligament needs to be replaced. The replacement is woven through the knee joint and attached to the upper and lower leg bones.
Real tissue is used for the replacement. Sometimes this will come from another part of your body, which will make the surgery take more time. At other times a donated tissue is used.
It can take up to six months for you to recover enough to resume normal activities, such as playing sports.
Meniscus surgeries
The meniscus is cartilage that acts as a shock absorber in your knee. You can easily tear it by twisting your knee. Smaller tears to the outer parts of the meniscus will heal on their own and don’t always require surgery. When you damage your meniscus symptoms can include:
- Pain
- Swelling
- Problems moving your joint from stuck pieces of cartilage
Your surgeons will decide the exact type of surgery that you need when they see the damage inside of your knee using a small camera. Meniscus repair is the best option, but can only be done when the damage is in a part of the meniscus that has a lot of blood flow. The portion of the meniscus that has torn will be reattached. Sutures, a type of stitch, or specialized meniscus repair devices are used to reattach the piece.
A meniscectomy is a related surgery, but, in this case, the damaged pieces of the meniscus are completely removed. Your surgeon will only choose this option when repair is not possible. Patients who have removal surgeries have much greater rates of arthritis than those who have their meniscus repaired.
SLIDESHOW
Exercises for Knee Osteoarthritis and Joint Pain See SlideshowOther surgeries
You may need a specialized knee surgery that's less common than the ones discussed above. Some examples include knee osteotomies and knee plica surgeries.
Knee osteotomies
Knee osteotomies are sometimes done when only one side of your knee is affected by arthritis. In this surgery, your bones are rearranged in order to shift the way that your weight lands on your knee. Your surgeon will add or remove pieces to your upper and lower leg bones in a way that suits your body.
Knee plica surgeries
Knee plica surgeries are most often performed alongside other knee surgeries. The plica is a smooth, elastic tissue that slides around on the end of the upper leg bone — on top of the knee. When this plica is irritated, you’ll experience symptoms that are similar to those from a torn meniscus.
Your doctor won't typically diagnose this until they've been able to look inside your knee with a camera. The plica can either be removed entirely or divided into parts and only partially removed. It's not replaced. Most patients don't experience any negative symptoms after the plica is removed.
What to expect when you see a doctor
The particular knee surgery that's right for you will depend entirely on your injury or symptoms. It’s important to talk to your doctor about your options when your knee pain is too intense or doesn’t go away.
Health News
- CDC Warns of Potentially Fatal Bacterial Illness on U.S. Gulf Coast
- Helping Others as Volunteers Helps Kids 'Flourish': Study
- FDA Approves Pfizer's RSV Shot for Older Adults
- What to Do When Tough-to-Treat Lymphoma Strikes During Pregnancy
- Rate of Pregnant U.S. Women Who Have Diabetes Keeps Rising
More Health News »
Health Solutions From Our Sponsors
Knee Surgery and Related Research: "Arthroscopic Excision of Medial Knee Plica: A Meta-Analysis of Outcomes."
Orthopedic Associates: "Types of Knee Surgery (Arthroscopic Knee Surgery) in Sports Medicine."
OrthoInfo: "Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Surgeries," "Osteotomy of the Knee," "Total versus partial joint replacement: what are the differences?"
UCSF Health: "ACL Reconstruction Surgery."
UW Medicine: "Arthroscopic Meniscus Repair."
Top What Are the Different Types of Knee Surgery Related Articles
Arthritis in Knee: 4 Stages of Osteoarthritis
Painful joint swelling is called arthritis. Osteoarthritis is due to wear and tear of the joints over many years. Arthritis maye develop in any joint, including the fingers, hips and knees. Usually, patients with arthritis feel pain in their joints even after moderate movements. There are four stages of osteoarthritis of the knee.
Early Signs of Arthritis in the Knee
Arthritis refers to the redness and swelling of the joints. It usually develops slowly over 10 to 15 years, interfering with daily life activities. Knowing the early signs of arthritis can help you take appropriate treatment and incorporate modifications in your diet and lifestyle.
How Do I Know if My Knee Injury is Serious?
Knee pain can signify a minor sprain but could also point to a severe joint injury. A knee injury may be serious if you experience severe knee pain, walking with a limp, or you experience rapid swelling.
Knee Injury and Meniscus Tears
Knee injuries, especially meniscus tears, are common in contact sports. Symptoms and signs of a torn meniscus include knee pain, swelling, a popping sound, and difficulty bending the leg. Treatment may involve resting, icing, compressing, and elevating the knee, in addition to wearing a knee brace, taking anti-inflammatory medications, and stretching the knee.
Knee Pain
Acute injuries, medical conditions, and chronic use conditions are causes of knee pain. Symptoms and signs that accompany knee pain include redness, swelling, difficulty walking, and locking of the knee. To diagnose knee pain, a physician will perform a physical exam and also may order X-rays, arthrocentesis, blood tests, or a CT scan or MRI. Treatment of knee pain depends upon the cause of the pain.
Knee Replacement
Find out what to expect with knee replacement surgery in this WebMD slideshow.
Pain Management: All About Your Knees
They do their job so well that you might take them for granted. Learn how they're put together, what can go wrong with them, and what you can do about it when something does.
Knee Pain Dos and Don'ts
Your knees go through a lot in the course of a day, and sometimes they can run into trouble. Here are a few things you can do when knee pain hits.
Knee Replacement Surgery and Recovery Time
During total knee replacement surgery, the diseased knee joint is replaced with artificial material. The risks include blood clots in the legs, urinary tract infection, nausea and vomiting, chronic knee pain, nerve damage, and infection.
What Are the Different Types of Knee Injections?
Knee injection is a procedure in which medications are injected into the knee joint to treat the pain due to various causes. There are different types of knee injections. The most common type of intra-articular knee injection is corticosteroids. Other agents used are hyaluronic acid, infliximab, Botox (botulinum neurotoxin), and platelet-rich plasma (PRP). Knee injection is a relatively quick procedure and may be performed under local anesthesia to avoid pain.
What Is Allograft Reconstruction of ACL-Deficient Knee?
The ACL-deficient knee can be repaired using an allograft reconstruction technique. Allograft reconstruction utilizes tissue (Achilles, hamstrings, or patellar tendons) obtained from a donor to reconstruct the ACL-deficient knee. The complications of allograft reconstruction include disease transmission, immune response to the implanted grafts, high failure rates, donor site complications, and infections.
What Is an Unicompartmental Knee Arthroplasty?
A unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) is a surgical procedure used to relieve disease in one of the knee compartments. In UKA, only the damaged parts of the knee are replaced. If the joint damage is limited to a single compartment, UKA may be indicated in conditions such as osteoarthritis, osteonecrosis (tissue death), malalignment, and mild deformities.
What Is Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA)?
Joint replacement surgery is a safe and effective procedure to relieve pain, correct leg deformity, and help the individual resume normal activities. In this procedure, the diseased or injured knee joint is replaced with artificial material. During total knee replacement, the end of the femur bone is removed and replaced with a metal shell. The end of the tibia (lower leg bone) is also removed and replaced with a channeled plastic piece with a metal stem.