Knee Surgery | Dr James Brown | Orthopaedic Surgeon

KNEE ARTHRITIS AND SURGERY

Symptoms and initial treatment

Common symptoms of knee arthritis include chronic knee pain, swelling, symptoms aggravated by activity, stiffness and difficulty performing simple tasks (cleaning, shopping, walking).

The initial treatment of arthritis includes:

Simple analgesia with paracetamol
Consideration of a long-acting anti-inflammatory (in consultation with your GP)
Weight loss
Improvement of muscular strength around knee and core muscles
Walking aid use
Cortisone injection

If this initial, non-surgical treatment is ineffective, Dr Brown may recommend surgery to improve function, sleep and quality of life for his patients. Dr Brown performs the following surgeries for arthritis of the knee.

A total or partial knee replacement may be recommended when your initial arthritis treatment is ineffective and pain continues to affect your quality of life and function of the knee.

Knee Replacements

In rare cases, a total knee joint replacement may need to be revised if it is causing significant symptoms related to infection, excessive wear, loosening, instability or pain. Extensive investigations must be first undertaken to determine the right diagnosis and course of action.

Revision Knee Replacement

Knee Osteotomy

Cartilage Preservation Surgery

Osteotomy refers to the cutting of the bone around the knee to allow correction of deformity to offload the area of arthritis and provide good relief of pain. This procedure may be suitable for patients who are under 60 years old and only have one part of the knee joint affected by arthritis.