Knee joint prosthesis

When the knee joint for example, is damaged by osteoarthritis or rheumatic diseases to such an extent that conservative or operative measures no longer bring about the desired relief, the decision is usually made for an artificial joint. We choose the right substitute for the individual patient depending on individual circumstances.

In the case of knee joint prostheses a key difference is to be made between a partial joint replacement – the so-called sliding prosthesis – and a complete joint replacement – the total endoprosthesis (TEP). In the former, only the part of the joint surface is replaced which is heavily damaged, mostly on the inside joint surfaces of the knee joint. What type of total endoprosthesis is used depends on the progress of the disease. If the ligaments of the knee joint are still stable, we usually just replace the joint surfaces damaged by wear with a so-called surface replacement prosthesis. This best allows the natural mobility of the knee to be restored and spares healthy bone structures. If the wear process has already led to significant instability of the knee joint, the joint function and pain-free secure walking can be recovered again with the aid of constrained articulation. Just like a hinge joint the prosthesis enables the movement of the knee and greatly stabilises the joint.