Jane Fonda’s New Knee

Knee replacements are becoming increasingly common, much like hip replacements and 71-year-old Jane Fonda has just joined thousands of others who have had a knee arthroplasty (joint replacement). According to People magazine, Jane’s surgery was this past Tuesday.

What is a knee replacement?

A knee replacement is exactly what it sounds like. The old, injured knee is removed and a plastic/metal joint is put into place. The goal of the surgery is to remove pain, improve your ability to bear weight on you leg, and improve your mobility.

You can have a partial or a total knee replacement. A partial replacement (unicompartmental) may be done if there’s not too much damage to the bones, allowing the doctor to resurface them and then cover parts with metal or plastic. Total knee replacements involve removing the whole joint and replacing it.

The knee

Our joints fall into specific categories. For example, your hip is a ball-and-socket joint, while your knee is a hinge joint. It only moves back and forth and shouldn’t move in any other direction.

As the years pass, the cartilage, the tissue that cushions the bones, may wear away. This is often due to osteoarthritis, which is frequently called wear-and-tear arthritis. As the cartilage wears away, the knee begins to hurt and it becomes more difficult for you to move your knee.

The surgery

Would you like to see how knee replacement surgery works? If so, click on the TV screen below to watch a video of a knee replacement:

~~~~

Images: Griffen Bauer, iStock.com