The knee is the largest joint in the body and takes several times body weight with every step. Its operations escalate according to how far the damage has progressed — and the right choice at the right moment can defer joint replacement by years.
Through two incisions of a few millimetres, surgeons repair meniscal tears with sutures where the tissue is vascular, perform a limited partial meniscectomy where it is not, reconstruct the anterior cruciate ligament with a graft, and treat cartilage lesions and loose bodies. Arthroscopy does not treat established arthritis, and washing out an arthritic knee has been shown to give no lasting benefit.
In younger patients with a varus or valgus knee and wear confined to one compartment, osteotomy shifts load to the healthy side and can postpone replacement for a decade while keeping the natural joint intact.
When wear is limited to one compartment and the cruciate ligaments are intact, partial replacement resurfaces only the damaged side and produces a knee that feels closer to normal. In extensive tricompartmental arthritis, total knee replacement — with robotic assistance where alignment and ligament balance demand greater precision — reliably relieves pain and restores walking.
Age is not in itself a contraindication — nor a reason to postpone an operation that restores independence.
to guide you about your condition, to choose the best possible treatment.
