Knee osteotomy

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Why it's done

By Mayo Clinic staff

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X-ray showing knee arthritis 
Knee arthritis
Illustration showing knee osteotomy 
Knee osteotomy

Slick cartilage allows the ends of the bones in a healthy knee to move smoothly against each other. In osteoarthritis, this cartilage is damaged and worn away.

For some people, this damage is worse on one side of the knee than the other. This can cause your knee to bow inward or outward. Removing or adding a wedge of bone in your shinbone or thighbone can help straighten out this bowing and shift your weight to the undamaged part of your knee joint.

Knee osteotomy is also sometimes used to repair misalignments in the knee joint caused by traumatic injuries or birth defects.

References
  1. Martin GM, et al. Total knee arthroplasty. http://uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed June 8, 2009.
  2. Osteotomy and unicompartmental knee arthroplasty. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00354. Accessed June 8, 2009.
  3. Surgical treatment of joint diseases: Surgical therapy. In: Goldman L, et al. Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/142280826-3/850076489/1492/1060.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-2805-5..50304-9--cesec15_13385. Accessed June 8, 2009.
  4. Spangehl MJ (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. June 16, 2009.
  5. Surgical techniques for high tibial osteotomy. In: DeLee JC, et al. DeLee & Drez's Orthopaedic Sports Medicine: Principles and Practice. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2003. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/142424814-5/850372119/1103/979.html#4-u1.0-B0-7216-8845-4..50030-2--cesec377_3900. Accessed June 9, 2009.

MY00710

Aug. 27, 2009

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