Total Knee Replacement

The worn surfaces of the knee are removed and replaced with metal and plastic components. It is done for pain that no longer responds to medication, injections or physiotherapy — pain that wakes you at night and shortens how far you can walk.

What the operation involves

One to two hours under spinal or general anaesthetic. The implant is chosen for your anatomy and activity level, and your surgeon should be able to tell you which they intend to use and why.

Recovery and what to expect

Most patients stand with support on the day of surgery or the day after, and walk with a frame or crutches within two days. Hospital stay is typically three to five days, and bending to ninety degrees is a usual early target. Real recovery takes three to six months, and how well it goes depends more on doing the physiotherapy than on the operation itself.

Honest expectations

A replaced knee is not a young knee. Kneeling is often uncomfortable permanently and some patients notice clicking. What it reliably does is remove the pain that stopped you walking.

What we arrange around it

Around three weeks, which allows for the wound check and enough physiotherapy that you can fly safely and continue at home. We arrange ground-floor or lift-served accommodation.