Notes from Hip & Knee Surgery by Robert Kennon

Chapters 18, 19 and 20 are an excellent revew of knee replacement. The details are very close to most of the literature that is available but very readable in plain language and very much to the point.

Dr. Kennon suggests that although total knee surgery "has been the term used for several decades, 'knee resurfacing ' ... is more accurate... It is usually half an inch or less tha s actually removed from the ends of the bones and replaced. Itis not unlike a dental procedure in which a bad tooth is capped. After the joint is replaced, there is no longer any arthritis in the joint because the joint surface is entirely artificial."

There are a number of surgical approaches. The best advice is to follow what one's surgeon recommends. It will be the procedure best known to the surgeon and give him or her the best possibility for success. The same can be said for the type of mechanical replacement.

The decision whether half knee replacement is an option is really on the recommendation of the surgeon as well. It's my knee but I'm not an expert and reading a book and 3-4 articles in addition to surfing the net doesn't make me a specialist. The purpose of the research is really only so that I will have a better chance at understanding what the surgeon says. This rings extremely loudly in my ears as a genuine insight. In my business, there are many clients who search for AV equipment on the net and become instant experts telling us what kind of system they want. We spend more time showing clients why state-of-the-art, alpha equipment wont serve their needs reliably. Surely my knees are no different and I, of all people, shouldn't make the mistake of becoming an 'instant spurt.'

I would like to know whether I'm a good candidate for half knee replacement. It also seems important to know what happens if arthritis continues in the other half of the knee in the next two or three years. Other than that, I'm prepared to listen to and follow the advice I receive.