Knee replacement surgery the most common joint replacement procedure. A knee replacement is performed to repair a worn arthritic knee joint or a knee injury, with the aim of relieving pain and restoring knee function.
What is a knee replacement?
A knee replacement involves replacing your worn, damaged or diseased knee joint components with an artificial knee joint to reduce pain and improve mobility of your joint.
Knee replacement surgery is typically performed under general anaesthetic, or spinal or epidural anaesthetic.
There are two types of knee replacement to treat knee osteoarthritis and knee injury.
The type of knee surgery will depend on the extent of damage to the three compartments in your knee.
- Partial knee replacement (PKR) – may be recommended for some knee osteoarthritis patients who only have one knee compartment that is affected. PKR surgery replaces just the one damaged compartment whilst also preserving the anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments. PKR is a lesser operation, with a smaller incision that involves less bone being removed, and has a faster recovery time than total knee replacement.
- Total knee replacement (TKR) - a total knee replacement is much more commonly performed than a partial one. It is carried out when a patient’s osteoarthritis or knee injury is advanced and all knee compartments are affected. It takes one to three hours to perform, involves a larger incision, replaces all three compartments of the knee, removes the anterior and posterior ligaments, and carries longer recovery times than a PKR.
Your knee surgeon will discuss the appropriate type of knee replacement surgery for the individual needs of your knee.
Both knee replacement surgeries involve replacing the worn ends of the bones in your knee joint with metal and plastic parts which have been measured to fit. Your prosthesis is fixed in place using special bone 'cement', or it is treated to encourage your bone to fuse with the new joint parts.
Do I need a knee replacement?
You may need a knee replacement if your knee joint is worn or damaged and it is causing you reduced mobility and severe pain that is interfering with your quality of life and sleep.
As a major surgery, knee replacement is usually only recommended if other treatments such as physiotherapy or steroid injections, haven't helped reduce pain or improve mobility.
Most often knee replacement is performed for patients with osteoarthritis where a gradual wear and tear of the knee joint results in cartilage damage that covers the knee joint surface and the bone underneath.
Knee replacement patients may also have rheumatoid arthritis, haemophilia, gout, disorders that cause unusual bone growth, knee joint bone death following blood supply problems, knee injury, or knee deformity with pain and loss of cartilage.
How long does a knee replacement last?
Most people enjoy less pain and better mobility for many years after a knee replacement.
Knee replacement surgery will not last forever though, due to loosening, wear and tear, infection and instability of the replacement joint.
You can expect a knee replacement to last at least ten years and up to 25 to 30 years.
The life expectancy of a knee replacement can be affected by a number of factors including: your physical health, your weight, and the extent and type of physical activity you do. The type of knee replacement you have will also contribute to the longevity of your knee replacement. Non-cemented joints and ceramic prosthesis tend to last longer.
Knee replacement surgery cost
Ramsay’s Winfield Hospital is recognised by all major medical insurers and most medical insurance policies will cover knee replacement surgery. We advise you to check directly with your insurance provider and to obtain written confirmation from them before starting treatment.
Patients who are self-paying have a number of options to pay for their treatment including: our All-inclusive TotalCare™, pay-as-you-go, and interest-free finance plans.
Our knee replacement guide cost starts from £11,841. With our All-inclusive TotalCare™, you pay this single one-off payment and benefit from direct access to all the knee replacement treatment you need for complete peace of mind.
This guide package price includes: pre-operation diagnostic tests (excluding MRI scans, typically required for about 1 in 5 patients), consultant fees whilst in hospital, your hospital accommodation, physiotherapy sessions, and unlimited aftercare for sixty days after you leave hospital.
Knee replacement recovery
Your stay in hospital will depend on the type of knee replacement surgery you have had, your recovery, and the support you have at home. PKR patients typically go home after one or two days in hospital. TKR patients will usually stay with us for up to five days.
The day after your operation one of our physiotherapists will visit you in hospital and get you up and walking with support, as well as bending your new knee. During your stay your physiotherapist will help you with exercises to build up the strength and range of movement in your leg. Initially crutches or a frame may help you walk. You may continue to see your physiotherapist once you have gone home and you should continue with your exercises to aid your recovery.
Following your operation, you will be given pain relief and you should continue to take it until you are pain free.
You will have a follow up appointment with you knee surgeon to see how your recovery is progressing.
By six weeks you will probably have no difficulty with activities like walking, cycling or swimming. You will need to avoid activities with a high impact on your knee, such as running or heavy lifting.
You may at this time test your fitness to drive. Only when you can put enough pressure on the pedals to do an emergency stop should you consider driving again.
You can expect to recover from knee replacement surgery within six to twelve weeks. However, all patients recover differently, so it's important to follow your knee surgeon's post-operative advice.
Knee Replacement with Winfield Hospital
At Winfield Hospital we pride ourselves on providing excellent care and attention to all of our patients. We work with experienced knee surgeons who are supported by a professional team of nursing, imaging, and physiotherapy staff to deliver a personal treatment plan that will improve your mobility, decrease your pain and improve your overall quality of life.
We offer prompt and convenient appointments to diagnose and treat your knee problem as we understand that knee pain can be incapacitating.
We provide you with exceptional support for sixty days following your discharge from hospital to ensure you continue on the road to recovery.
Winfield Hospital has been developed with orthopaedic patients in mind. We have three fully equipped theatres with ultra clean air.
We bring freshly-prepared meals to our patient’s rooms that are equipped with flat screen Freeview TV, radio and a direct dial telephone.
Contact us to book an appointment!