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During the procedure
After you are anesthetized, your surgeon will make an incision over the area of bone to be remodeled. Depending on the severity and the location of the arthritis damage within your knee, the surgery may involve your shinbone or your thighbone. The most common form of knee osteotomy involves the shinbone.
In the simplest variety of knee osteotomy, your surgeon removes a wedge of bone. The cut edges of the bone are brought together and fastened in place with metal hardware. Another option is to cut the shinbone or thighbone and then insert a wedge of bone, which may be taken from your pelvis or from a bone bank. Metal hardware secures the pieces together.
After the procedure
Depending on the complexity of the surgery and how well you recover, you might stay in the hospital for a night or two. You'll need to use crutches for approximately two months so that your bone will heal properly. Rehabilitation may take as long as six months and will include exercises designed to:
- Strengthen your thigh muscles (quadriceps)
- Increase your knee's range of motion
- Improve your balance
Occasionally a brace is used to give additional support to the bone while it is healing.
- Noyes FR, et al. High tibial osteotomy in the anterior cruciate ligament deficient knee with varus angulation. In: DeLee JC, et al. DeLee & Drez's Orthopaedic Sports Medicine: Principles and Practice. 3rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2010. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/about.do?about=true&eid=4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-3143-7..X0001-2--TOP&isbn=978-1-4160-3143-7&uniqId=230100505-57. Accessed June 17, 2011.
- Martin GM, et al. Total knee arthroplasty. http://uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed June 17, 2011.
- Richmond JC. Surgery for osteoarthritis of the knee. Rheumatic Disease Clinics of North America. 2008;34:815.
- Surgical treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00385. Accessed June 17, 2011.
- Dabov G. Osteoarthritis: Knee. In: Canale ST, et al. Campbell's Operative Orthopaedics. 11th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/208746819-4/0/1584/0.html. Accessed June 17, 2011.
- Brouwer RW, et al. Osteotomy for treating knee osteoarthritis. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2007;CD004019.
- Spangehl MJ (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. July 9, 2011.
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