Total Knee Replacement

Knee pain can knock you off your stride, impacting your quality of life and keeping you from everyday activities you enjoy. At St. Elizabeth, we are here to help. Our Orthopaedic team will first suggest non-surgical options to help relieve your knee pain. Many times, this will keep the pain under control for a period of time. 

When your pain is no longer relieved with non-surgical treatments, it may be time to consider partial or total knee replacement surgery often referred to as knee resurfacing. Your orthopaedic surgeon will help you decide if this treatment path is the right one for you. We offer both traditional knee replacement surgery and Mako Robotic-Arm Assisted Surgery. Your surgeon will determine which surgery option is right for you. 

What is Total Knee Replacement?

The knee is the largest joint in the body and a combination of three bones: your femur (thigh bone), tibia (lower leg bone) and the patella (knee cap). The knee is responsible for absorbing the force of your movement and everyday activities. The muscles around your knee also have an important job: they support and help to move your knee. 

The knee can become unhealthy after years of wear and tear, through daily life, sports, trauma, or arthritis. The protective lining between the three knee bones can wear away, leaving bone spurs or causing arthritis. In addition to knee pain, you could also lose movement, strength and function of your knee. Typically, this is the point where a partial or total knee replacement may be an option for you.

During your knee replacement surgery, your orthopaedic surgeon will make an incision over the affected knee and move the patella out of the way. Damaged cartilage and bone are removed from the knee joint, which usually includes the ends of the femur and tibia bone and the patella if needed. Once this is complete, the two parts of the knee prosthesis are implanted into the femur bone and the tibia bone. These prosthetic pieces, along with the patella prosthesis, are made from metal and strong plastic. The doctor may choose to use special bone cement along with screws if necessary.

What to Expect 

Making the decision to have a total knee replacement isn’t easy, but our team of Orthopaedic experts at St. Elizabeth Healthcare are with you every step of the way. We want you to be knowledgeable and prepared for your knee replacement to ensure both your surgery and recovery goes as smoothly as possible. 

Your knee replacement surgery will last about an hour, depending on how much damaged cartilage and bone need to be removed and resurfaced by your orthopaedic surgeon. An anesthesiologist will administer an anesthetic during your surgery, and may administer a nerve block to help decrease pain immediately following the surgery. 

When you wake up following your knee replacement surgery, you will be recovering in the Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU). You will be closely monitored by our specialized PACU nurses until your hospital room is available. If you are having same day knee replacement surgery, you will be discharged to go home. Your caregiver will discuss the details of the surgery with your orthopaedic surgeon prior to leaving the PACU. 

If you are staying at the hospital following your surgery, your physical therapist will most likely begin therapy the same night as your knee replacement surgery. The morning following your surgery, you will continue to work with your physical therapist. They will focus on getting you out of bed, walking, increasing range of motion and strengthening your knee. You will be in the hospital about one to two nights before being discharged to go home. Once at home, you may continue your physical therapy at one of St. Elizabeth's 13 outpatient rehabilitation locations located throughout Northern Kentucky. Our outpatient knee replacement surgery patients will start their physical therapy at home shortly after discharge.

Your orthopaedic surgeon will let you know when it’s safe for you to drive a car—typically 3-6 weeks from your surgery date. It could take up to one full year to completely heal from your knee replacement; however, most patients are back to walking without a cane after six weeks. While knee replacements do not last forever, they do typically last 15-20 years for most patients.

The St. Elizabeth Total Joint Center Advantage 

Our nationally recognized Total Joint Center facility provides patients with a dedicated Orthopaedics floor, private patient suites, a spacious rehabilitation gym, and education rooms for patient and family education. The St. Elizabeth Orthopaedic team are by your side every step of the way on your knee replacement journey. Our goal is to get you back to your active, pain-free lifestyle.

Contact Us 

If you are considering a knee replacement, our physicians can provide a referral to one of our affiliated orthopaedic surgeons. For more information on surgical options, please contact us at askortho@stelizabeth.com. Our team will discuss all knee surgery options with you and help you determine the best choice.