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Total Knee Replacement Surgery

JCMG Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine offers total knee replacement surgery, performed in an outpatient setting at the JCMG Surgery Center.

In the video below, Dr. Jonathan Craighead, an orthopaedic surgeon with Jefferson City Medical Group, covers all you need to know about getting a knee replacement surgery performed at the JCMG Surgery Center.

Call us at (573) 635-8000 with questions.

Why might you need a knee replacement surgery?

The most common reason to have knee replacement surgery is poorly controlled knee pain caused by arthritis of the knee. Arthritis is the medical term for damage to the cartilage of the joint. Cartilage is tissue that provides the cushion between the bone.Knee Slides 1 Gif

In a healthy knee, the bones are well-aligned and there is a healthy joint space between the thigh bone and shin bone where the normal cartilage is preserved. In an arthritic knee, the normal joint space has deteriorated, resulting in bone on bone contact and bowing of the knee. After knee replacement surgery, the artificial knee has restored the space between the bones and realigned the knee into proper position.

Potential Risks of Knee Replacement Surgery

The risk of the surgery in healthy individuals is low.

  • The risk of infection is less than 1%. You will be given IV antibiotics during the surgery to help prevent any infection.
  • The risk of nerve damage in your foot or ankle is less than 1%.
  • The risk of blood clots is less than 1%. If you have no risk factors for a blood clot, after surgery, you will be placed on a baby aspirin twice a day for approximately 40 days. If you have a history of blood clots or are at high risk for one, you will be on a prescription blood thinner for 40 days after surgery.
  • Everyone who has a knee replaced gets a little dull or numb spot on the outside part of the knee. Sometimes this goes away, but sometimes it is permanent. It does not usually bother people, but I’d like for you to know about it ahead of time.
  • Artificial knees occasionally make noise. The metal and plastic are harder surfaces than cartilage, and you may occasionally feel a click or pop in the knee. This does not mean that something is broken or coming loose, and it is normal to occasionally feel or hear a noise in the artificial knee.
  • The most common side effects of the surgery are some swelling and stiffness.
  • Very rarely, patients will produce excess scar tissue which causes so much stiffness that it will require a manipulation in order to break it up.

We will have you wear compression stockings immediately following surgery on both legs for approximately one month after surgery. This helps to prevent swelling, stiffness, and blood clots.



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