A knee replacement is recommended if the pain in your knee or leg prevents you from doing your normal activities and your x-rays show irregular surfaces at the knee. A Total Knee Replacement (TKR) or Total Knee Arthroplasty is a procedure in which the worn or damaged parts of your knee joint are replaced with artificial metal or plastic replacement parts known as prostheses.
The procedure is typically recommended for older patients who are suffering from arthritis-related pain and loss of function and have failed to respond to other conservative treatment options. The ends of the bones that make up the joint are surgically removed to create a new knee joint. They’re replaced with prostheses that are constructed using metal and powerful plastic parts. The pieces may be cemented in place with special bone cement, or the metal may have a porous surface into which bone will grow to create a snug fit.
Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is an inflammatory disease that affects the joints and causes pain, swelling, stiffness, loss of function, and deformity. Because it is a systemic disease, it can affect areas other than the joints, such as the membranes that surround internal organs like the heart, lungs, and eyes. Treatments for arthritis are available in a variety of forms, but they are highly dependent on the cause of the pain and the severity of the condition.