Welcome to the Atlanta Bone and Joint Specialist Guide to Knee Arthritis Treatment and Total Knee Replacement Surgery!

Arthritis, Osteoarthritis, Bone on Bone Arthritis.  You've heard it all.  You've felt the pain of the daily grind.  You know when a cold front is coming, and you can tell when it's going to rain.  You know that morning stiffness that eases throughout the day, the joint swelling that occurs after a full day.  We've seen it all.  But do you know what is wrong?  We're here to help.  We hope you find our page informative and give you a far better understanding of what we can do for you at Atlanta Bone and Joint.  From conservative management to surgical intervention, we've got you covered.

A patient with knee swelling after tennis that has flared up due to arthritis.

What is arthritis?

Many different things can cause knee arthritis. Osteoarthritis is the classic "wear and tear" arthritis. Rheumatoid Arthritis is a condition that involved the entire immune system attacking the cartilage in the joints, leading to joint destruction.  Post-traumatic arthritis occurs in patients who have a prior knee injury, which has led to arthritis due to the initial damage.
Although present in many forms, terminal arthritis means that there is no longer smooth cartilage that is articulating, and therefore bones rub against bones, causing pain.  Keep reading to learn more about how the surgeons at Atlanta Bone & Joint manage knee arthritis with and without knee replacement surgery. 

Conservative Management

Our experts are always going to try to start with conservative management of your knee.  Depending on what your X-Rays show and what your clinical physical exam shows, you may have plenty of life left in your knees! What does that mean for you?  It means you have plenty of options before going down the path of total knee replacement surgery.

Cortisone

The gold standard for years in the osteoarthritis treatment of the knee.  Cortisone is a medicine that helps reduce inflammation inside the knee joint.  As inflammation is the root cause of the pain, the shot reduces the inflammation and therefore reduces swelling and pain.  Injections can be done on the same day as your visit.  Typically injections are performed at a minimum of two month intervals

image showing how we inject knees with cortisone to reduce inflammation and decrease pain.

Hyaluronic Gel Injections

In recent years, multiple companies have come out with a lubricant replacement for knees.  The material is made of a compound similar to that of the native joint fluid.  These injections are typically performed in more mild cases of arthritis and can have excellent long term results.

Experimental Injections

While we offer novel techniques like stem cells and amniotic tissue injections, we do caution against their use.  We will use these in younger patients who are willing to try other non-proven modalities to reduce their arthritis.  Unfortunately, most insurances do not cover these injections yet.  Please contact us for pricing and availability.  

Image showing how we use stem cells in the treatment of knee conditions like arthritis.

Physical Therapy and Weight Loss

As multiple studies have shown, when you get arthritis you use your knee less and therefore the muscles around the knee get weaker.  We have also seen that as BMI (Body Mass Index) is above 50, we have worse outcomes for knee replacements.  Therefore, in the conservative management period prior to any surgery, we will likely have you in physical therapy to restore strength around the knee and  reduce the unstable feelings of arthritis.  Calculate your BMI at our Joint Replacement Center

A physical therapist working on a knee to help increase muscular strength to help reduce pain associated with arthritis.

Surgical Management

Our motto is simple. You tell us when you are ready for your knee replacement. Period.  Not the other way.  We will evaluate your medical history, function level and determine if surgery is correct for you.

What is a Knee Replacement?

A knee replacement is where the surfaces that glide against each other are cut in line with a prosthesis.  Using patient anatomy and guides, our knee replacement surgeons at Atlanta Bone & Joint use rotational axis and mechanical axis to determine your knee's proper alignment .  An anterior incision is used, and we use an anterior reference technique, which is far superior to posterior techniques.  Although too complex for patient discourse, the systems our surgeons use have been custom designed to ensure proper alignment every time.

In the first video, you can see how arthritis develops and how the knee replacement is design to stop the bone on bone arthritis pain.

In the second video, we have an animation of how a knee replacement does perform!

How Long Do They Last?

Depending on use, we like to think of the plastic between the two metals in a knee replacement like a tire.  Currently, total knee replacements that are well placed are considered to last for 25-30 years.  With new technologies in our plastics and smoother metal surfaces, we expect the next generation of knee replacements to last a lifetime.  Our group uses the most cutting edge technology in bearing surfaces.  We even can use cement less total knees!

A cruciate retaining design for a total knee replacement.

A ceramic coated knee that is harder and smoother than metal and less likely to damage to the polyethylene (plastic).

What Does The Incision Look Like?

Depending on height and weight, incisions vary by size.  Our approach is minimally invasive.  Smaller incisions mean less pain.  All of our surgeons worked with plastic surgeons in the past to ensure excellent and cosmetically pristine scars.  We know that you only see what's on the outside, so we make sure your skin is closed perfectly!

A total knee scar after plastic surgery closure from our surgeons.

Who Does My Surgery?

At Atlanta Bone & Joint, we take significant pride in that our surgeons do the entire surgery.  No residents are learning how to operate on you while you are under our care.  This ensures your knee replacement surgery is done the same way every time, which leads to better outcomes.

We do not have residents that learn on you. The attending surgeon always does your surgery. Never let a resident learn on you!

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Still want more information?  Click here to learn more from the AAOS about knee replacement surgery!

AAOS Information about Total Knee Replacement