Knee Realignment Surgery
Some individuals are predisposed to developing arthritis in their knee joints due to the shape of their lower limbs. They may appear ‘Bow-legged’ or ‘Knock-kneed,’ and the rate of wear and tear is accelerated due to the presence of this deformity. The lower limb can be realigned, by cutting the bone and correcting the deformity. This will help unload the painful part of the knee. This procedure is called an ‘osteotomy’ and can be performed on the thigh bone or the lower leg bone depending upon where the deformity is. This form of surgery allows you to keep your own knee for longer and hopefully maintain a more active lifestyle.
Risks of surgery include; infection, bleeding, pain, stiffness, nerve and vessel damage, thrombosis, compartment syndrome, fracture, mal-union, non-union, progression of arthritis, further surgery. This type of surgery is not suitable for everybody and will only be offered to those who have a deformity or mechanical mal-alignment. Knee osteotomy can produce very good results in carefully selected patients.