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A total knee replacement is usually recommended for patients that have severe degenerative joint disease, resulting in debilitating pain and restricted mobility. The knee replacement procedure resembles the placing of a cap on a tooth, resurfacing the points on the bones that come in contact with each other by using a metal alloy and high-grade plastic to replace the degenerated cartilage and joint.
A knee replacement is usually only performed after other treatments have begun to lose effectiveness. Typically, the knee replacement procedure is recommended for patients over 55 years of age.
The replaced knee will usually greatly reduce pain and stiffness in the joint, and will generally last between 10 and 15 years.
Surgery removes the damaged joint surfaces, capping the contact points of the upper and lower leg bone with a metal alloy and replacing the underside of the kneecap with a polyethylene (plastic) implant.
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