Total knee replacement
The most common type of knee replacement is a total knee replacement, which is where the lower end of your thigh bone and upper end of your shin are replaced with metal and plastic parts.
Partial knee replacement
If you only have artritis in one half of your knee, you may only need a partial knee replacement. Only the bones of the affected side of your knee are replacced with metal or plastic parts. It's a smaller operation to a total knee replacement so you should have a quicker recovery.
Revision total knee replacement
A revision total knee replacement is an operation to take out parts of your old knee replaement and replace it with new ones.
A knee replacement can fail for the following reasons:
- Wearing out of the artificial joint - This releases tiny bits of material that can cause damage to the bone and soft tissues around the joint and cause the joint to become loose from the bone
- Infection in your knee replacement - Infection can make your knee become loose from the bone
- Dislocation (coming out of joint)
- Fracture (break) of the femur or the tibia around your knee replacement - this can heppen if you fall heavily on your knee
These problems can make it difficult for you to walk and sometimes cause pain.
EIDO Total Knee Replacement Information for Patients and Carers.