Thousands of people suffer everyday from knee pain and stiffness. A painful knee can interfere with even the simple things in life. Candidates for total knee replacement come from all walks of life. Annually, over 245,000 people undergo knee replacement surgery. The procedure, which was developed in 1974, is safe and effective for the most part. The components implanted during surgery can last 20 or more years.

Three bones come together to form the knee joint: the femur, which is located in the thigh, the tibia, which is the shinbone, and the patella, which is the kneecap. When these bones deteriorate, a prosthesis, which is usually constructed of a metal alloy and plastic, may be implanted. The knee is the largest joint in the body and almost perfect knee function is needed to perform routine everyday activities. Normally all of these components work together, but disease or injury can result in pain, muscle weakness, and lessened function.

The most common cause of chronic knee pain and disability is arthritis. Osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and traumatic arthritis are the most common forms. Osteoarthritis usually occurs after the age of 50 and is often found in individuals with a family history of arthritis. Rheumatoid Arthritis is a disease in which the membranes becomes thickened and inflamed. This chronic inflammation can damage the cartilage and eventually cause cartilage loss, pain and stiffness. Traumatic Arthritis normally follows a serious knee injury.

The decision whether to have total knee replacement surgery should be made between you and your physicians. Your family physician may refer you to an orthopaedic surgeon for a thorough evaluation to determine if you could benefit from this surgery.

Reasons that you may benefit from total knee replacement:

• Severe knee pain that limits common everyday activities such as walking
  
• Knee pain while at rest
  
• Knee inflammation that doesn't improve with rest or medication
  
• Knee deformity
  
• Knee stiffness
  
• Inability to tolerate side effects from pain medications
  
• Failure to improve from treatments such as therapy
  

Most patients who undergo total knee replacement are between the ages of 60 to 80. However, recommendations for surgery are based on a patient's pain and disability, not age. Patients as young as age 16 and older than 90 have undergone successful total knee replacement.

The first step in making your decision regarding knee replacement will be an orthopaedic evaluation consisting of a medical history, physical exam, x-rays and occasionally an MRI. Your orthopaedic surgeon will review the results of your evaluation with you and discuss whether total knee replacement would be the best method to relieve your pain and improve your function. Other treatments may include medications, injections, physical therapy, or other types of surgery.

More than 90 percent of individuals who undergo total knee replacement experience a dramatic reduction of knee pain and a significant improvement in the ability to perform everyday activities. But total knee replacement won't allow you to do more than you could before you developed knee problems. Following surgery, you will be advised to avoid some types of activity for the rest of your life, including jogging and high impact sports.

While knee joint replacement can bring relief to knee injury victims and arthritis sufferers, not all of these procedures are successful. Recently, Sulzer Orthopedic, a prosthetic knee manufacturer, produced defective artificial knees. Sulzer Orthopedic revealed that the company had received reports of "unanticipated adverse clinical outcomes" associated with its knee replacement device. The knee implants were not properly bonding to the bone. The company recalled the knee replacements in March 2001 and is encouraging doctors to monitor patients who received the knee implants prior to the recall. Over 1,500 patients may have received the defective knee replacement. Sulzer has not admitted that its knee implants were "defectively" manufactured, nor have they apologized to patients for the physical injuries that they have suffered as a result of receiving the knee implant.

Manufacturers are not the only ones that may be liable for problems relating to your knee replacement. Physicians performing the surgery, those administering medications and hospitals may all make mistakes that can cause you unnecessary pain, suffering and expense.

If you, or a family member has experienced unexpected side effects after knee surgery, you should seek the advice of an attorney to determine whether you may have a legal claim. Please keep in mind that there may be time limits within which you must commence suit, so you should not delay.

For recommendations, please feel free to contact Consultwebs.com's Dale Tincher at cwlegalhelp@consultwebs.com or 919-272-8052.

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