MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia:Knee joint replacement

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Knee joint replacement - series: Indications

Knee joint replacement - seriesIllustrations:

Normal anatomy

Indications

Procedure

Aftercare

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

Update Date: 7/27/2007

Updated by: Steve Lee, DO, Rheumatology Fellow, Loma Linda University Medical Center, Loma Linda, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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