Knee Replacement Treatment

At Sheba Medical Center, our surgeons perform approximately five to 10 unicompartmental knee revisions every year. This procedure is most often done on the medial knee compartment, involves a hospital stay of three to five days. Patients are able to immediately place some weight on the knee, but full recovery will typically take two to three months.

A total knee replacement is performed for patients who have advanced disease in all three of their knee compartments. The typical length of hospital stay necessary is one week, and Biomet cemented prostheses are used. Over 150 total knee replacements are performed at Sheba Medical Center every year. Patients are able to bear weight with assistance immediately after the surgery, but the total recovery time is three to four months.

A revision of a total knee replacement is undertaken for patients that have suffered a failure of their original total knee replacement. This could be due to infection, hardware loosening, or another cause. About 20 of these revision surgeries are performed every year at Sheba Medical Center.

The nature and length of the postoperative recovery can vary greatly from patient to patient, depending on medical history. Prostheses from both Biomet and Johnson & Johnson are used.

A corrective osteotomy is often a good choice for younger patients with mild disease in a single knee compartment. This procedure is typically performed to bring the knee back into proper alignment. Around 30 corrective osteotomies are undertaken every year at Sheba Medical Center. The usual hospital stay is three to five days, and complete recovery takes about three to six months. Immediately after surgery, the knee must stay immobilized in a brace or cast for about six weeks