Failed Knee Implant Surgery in Maryland and DC | Knee Implant Doctor
Dr. Movement and Knee Failed Implants
Keeping you moving forward
Implants in the knee joint can fail for a variety of reasons. Most common causes of implant failure are infection, loosening and implant wear. It is important to determine the cause of implant failure before considering treatment options.
It is also essential to assess the soft tissues around the implant so that tissue-sparing surgery can be performed.
Anatomy
Articular cartilage covers the surface of a bone where it meets with another bone at a joint. In the knee, cartilage covers the thigh bone (femur), leg bone (tibia) and the knee cap (patella). This cartilage is important to provide both a smooth, lubricated surface for joint articulation and to help distribute load to reduce stress on your bones. In addition to the cartilage, there is a shock-absorber called the meniscus in the knee. There is one on the inside (medial) and one on the outside (lateral). Muscles and ligaments (rubber bands) around the knee help control movement and stability of the knee joint.
Evaluation
Your healthcare provider will evaluate your range of motion, measure strength, and perform special tests to help diagnose the source of your knee symptoms.
They will use the results of their exam to determine if you need further testing (e.g. x-ray, MRI, CT scan).
Knee Failed Implant Management
We offer a step-wise series of treatment options for patients with knee implant failure. These range from simple, non-invasive modalities to more procedural treatments. Some examples are as listed here:
- Physical therapy and conditioning with our experience physical therapists
- Medical management with anti-inflammatory medications and lotions
- Surgical options
Surgery for knee implant failure is the end treatment. This is the best option to relieve pain and restore function when more conservative options have failed.
There are several surgical options for knee implant failure depending on the diagnosis:
- Failed fracture fixation – removal of implants and conversion to total knee replacement
- Infection – removal of implants 🡪 placement of antibiotic spacer 🡪 revision knee replacement
- Total knee loosening – revision total knee replacement
- Fractures around total knees – distal femoral replacement
Each of these surgeries are performed in a minimally-invasive, robotic and computer-assisted fashion. In all cases, patients are active right after the surgery and in many cases, patients can go home the same day of surgery.