As we’ve mentioned on this blog numerous times in the past, a partial knee replacement operation can be the perfect solution for a patient dealing with degeneration in one compartment of their knee. The procedure preserves more healthy tissue and allows for a more natural feeling in your knee. But like any surgical procedure, if the surgery doesn’t go exactly as planned or future issues develop in the knee, the patient may need to undergo a revision operation. In today’s blog, we take a look at some of the reasons why a patient may need to undergo a revisional operation following a partial knee replacement.
Partial Knee Replacement Revisional Causes
A partial knee replacement prosthetic can fail for a few different reasons, some of which are less controllable than others. This is why it’s so important to make sure that partial knee replacement is only performed on ideal candidates. However, even when careful consideration is followed, a partial knee replacement may need a revisional operation for one of these reasons:
- Arthritis Onset In More Compartments – Arthritis tends to develop pretty unilaterally in a joint, so it’s unlikely that one compartment will be severely affected by arthritis while others remain very healthy and unlikely to suffer the same fate. Most doctors won’t move forward with a partial knee replacement if they suspect that arthritis will affect the remaining portion of the knee joint significantly, but if injury to the knee or another issue leads progressive arthritis in the other knee compartments, you may need a second procedure if symptoms develop and worsen.
- ACL Loosening – Your ACL and other ligaments in your knee help to support the new partial knee replacement. If these ligaments loosen or become damaged and can no longer securely hold the knee in place, instability can develop in your surgically addressed knee, leading to symptoms and the need for more treatment.
- Infections – We work immensely hard to reduce the risk of infection, but if bacteria enters the surgical site and an infection develops, it can lead to surgery failure. An infection can weaken structures in the knee, meaning the artificial prosthetic can loosen, which may require a second operation. Sometimes these infections can be treated with antibiotics before they compromise the integrity of the implant, but either way, additional treatment will be necessary.
- Shifting Prosthetic Pieces – It’s possible that your partial knee replacement hardware can shift or loosen from the bones they are attached to over time. If the glue or similar material that connects your prosthetic knee to the bone ends up weakening, you may notice some new knee pain, especially when going from a seated to standing position.
- Wear And Tear – Finally, wear and tear on the artificial implant can cause it to wear down similar to how the natural knee joint deteriorated. That said, with newer technologies and better prosthetics, these implants are designed to last a lifetime, meaning it would typically take special circumstances for an artificial knee component to wear down to the point that a second operation is needed.
Despite this list, know that the need for revisional surgery after a partial knee replacement is extremely rare, and the vast majority of patients receiving partial or total knee replacement do not require a secondary operation. We work hard to make sure that our revisional rates are lower than the national average, and that’s because we are aware of the potential pitfalls and we do everything in our power to account for these possibilities.
For more information, or for help with your knee discomfort, reach out to Dr. Botero’s office today at (865) 558-4444.
