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Partial knee replacement surgery is a minimally invasive surgery designed to increase movement in the knees of people suffering from osteoarthritis. Also known as unicompartmental knee arthoplasty or unicompartmental knee replacement, partial knee replacement surgery is an option for people looking for a smaller incision and shorter recovery time than are required during a total knee replacement surgery. It is beneficial to people with a problem in only part of their knee - one that doesn''t require a total knee replacement.
Instead of removing parts of all the surrounding bones, partial knee replacement surgery only removes the damaged areas of cartilage, resurfacing the area that is damaged. The incision for a partial knee replacement is only three inches, as compared to the eight-inch incision over the knee required for the total knee replacement surgery. Because of this small incision, there is minimal blood loss during the surgery and reduced need for blood transfusion.
The 45-minute procedure requires a minor hospital commitment. In some cases, patients who undergo partial knee replacement surgery can leave the hospital on the same day as their surgery; in other cases, a one- to two-day stay is required. On the contrary, the usual stay after a total knee replacement surgery is three or four days.
Partial knee replacement surgery is only recommended for people who are over 55 years old, not obese, relatively sedentary and have intact ligaments, including the ACL. Unfortunately, many people who seek partial knee replacement surgery have arthritis that is too far along to benefit from the procedure.
Knee replacement surgery is only recommended for people who have not seen success with any other treatment for their knee pain. People who have not responded to pain medications or physical therapy may be possible candidates for this surgery, which is usually only used as a last resort. Good candidacy for partial knee replacement surgery is important, as one unsuccessful surgery may make total knee replacement surgery difficult.
If the patient receiving the partial knee replacement surgery is in fact a good candidate, success rates are high. After 10 years, 95 percent of partial knee surgery patients still function as well as they did following their surgery.
Although partial knee replacement surgery is only just beginning to see popularity, the treatment has been used since the 1970s. Better selection for surgery candidates has increased the success of the treatment.
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