A total knee replacement resurfaces the worn parts of the joint. Unlike a hip replacement that removes the ball of the hip joint, a total knee replacement takes away very little of the bone within the knee joint. 

It is better to think of a knee replacement as a refinishing of the knee surfaces. With arthritis, the cartilage covering the ends of the bone within the knee joint is badly worn. In a knee replacement, this damaged cartilage, along with a very small amount of bone, is removed with very precise guides and instruments. 

The implants, which are made of metal and plastic in a variety of sizes, are then fitted to the bone to provide an artificial surface that causes no pain when the knee is in motion.

This surgical procedure using ROSA Knee is similar to traditional total knee replacement, but with a robotic assistant. It allows your surgeon to personalize the surgical approach for your unique anatomy. It’s important to understand that the robot does not operate on its own. That means it does not move unless your surgeon prompts it to. Your surgeon is still in the operating room the entire time and is making all of the decisions throughout your surgery.

During your procedure, ROSA Knee utilizes a camera and optical trackers attached to your leg to know exactly where your knee is in space. Think of it like a very detailed global positioning system (GPS) that you might use in your car. If your leg moves even a fraction of an inch, the robot can tell and adjusts accordingly. This helps ensure that the plan your surgeon put into place is executed as intended. Throughout your surgery, ROSA Knee provides your surgeon with data about your knee. This information, combined with your surgeon’s skill, helps them know how to position your implant based on your unique anatomy.

The benefits of the robotic-assisted knee replacement include:

• Smaller incisions
• Rapid recovery
• Precise placement of the implant
• Reduced injury to adjacent tissues
• Increased longevity of the implant

Partial knee replacement (usually called an “unicompartmental”replacement) is done if only part of the knee joint is damaged by arthritis. 

Think of the knee as having three compartments or sides: an inside compartment, an outside compartment, and a front compartment for the kneecap. Most frequently, it is the inside compartment that becomes arthritic. 

The decision to perform a partial replacement that resurfaces just one compartment or side is made only if the opposite side and the kneecap have healthy normal cartilage at surgery.

A third type of knee replacement is referred to as a revision total knee. Since it is repeat surgery, a revision is more complex and often requires a special type of implant used for those patients who have had a knee replacement that has failed. Approximately 1 in 10 implants will fail over a 10-year period and will require a revision of the prosthesis. 

The bone is not as strong when an implant is removed and the ligaments supporting the knee may be damaged. A revision prosthesis helps address these problems because the surgeon can fit a stem inside the canal of the bone to provide better support for the prosthesis.