Knee Surgical Options

If you are considering knee surgery, you’ve come to the right place. The St. Elizabeth Total Joint Center is a nationally recognized orthopedic institution, offering personalized, top-notch care to each of our patients.

Our Orthopaedic team will examine your knee and discuss treatment options with you, typically starting with non-surgical options. If those treatment options have been exhausted and aren’t providing the pain relief you need, it’s time to consider knee surgery. The St. Elizabeth Total Joint Center offers multiple knee surgery options and will work with you to determine which option is the best fit.

Minimally-invasive knee surgery

Many knee injuries are a result of trauma or movement related activities such as gardening, playing sports or running.

• Fracture fixation - A surgery to stabilize a fractured patella while the bone heals.
• Arthroscopy - A minimally invasive procedure where a small camera is inserted into the knee joint via a small incision. Knee arthroscopy allows for greater visualization of the knee, and repair of many types of pathology. These include lesions of the meniscus (knee cartilage), and injuries to the ligaments.
• Tendon / ligament repair or reconstruction - Certain ligaments, such as the AC, MCL and PCL, are essential for knee stability. Repair and reconstruction may be done arthroscopically to restore knee stability.

Total and partial knee replacement surgery

St. Elizabeth is only one of a handful of medical centers in the nation that offer Mako Robotic-Arm Assisted Surgery for total knee replacement surgery. This technology makes total knee replacement surgeries every more accurate, giving patients less pain and more natural movement right after surgery.

• Knee resurfacing focuses on resurfacing only the diseased part of the knee, leaving the patient’s healthy bone and surrounding tissue. Using the Mako partial knee replacement technology, patients who undergo knee resurfacing will have an implant robotically inserted and secured, giving them a more natural-feeling knee without an entire knee replacement.
• Same-day total knee replacement surgery is a unique option for patients who need a total knee replacement but would like to recover at home. The St. Elizabeth Total Joint Center coordinates home healthcare and physical therapy during the recovery process. Patients who qualify for outpatient knee replacement surgery must fit a specific medical profile and not have any adverse health problems that would increase their surgical risk.
• Inpatient knee replacement surgery may be better for you if you are older or have other health risks that would make a hospital stay after surgery a safer option. Patients typically stay in the hospital for three days and begin Physical Therapy the same evening as their surgery.