Don’t get confused on knee replacement or resurfacing, both are same; expert

Mohali, June 3, 2022: “Total Knee Replacement (TKR) word is infact a misnomer and in actual the surgery is resurfacing of the damaged cartilage of the bone with metallic implants. Resurfacing can be total or partial depending on the severity of Knee cartilage damage,”

Addressing a health talk at Shalby Hospital, Mohali on Friday, Dr Gagandeep Gupta an ortho and joint replacement surgeon clarified that in reality, knee replacement isn’t a replacement at all. It is a removal of the worn-out diseased cartilage of the bone above and below the knee, and the replacing of those end surfaces with cartilage replacing implants.

Dr Gagan further stated that the general population should understand that only the word knee replacement is misnomer; however the technology of surgery in particular has not changed. Which means that advising the patient to choose knee resurfacing surgery and to avoid knee replacement surgery is completely wrong, he maintained.

As both the surgeries are same technically, only the name has gradually shifted from knee replacement to knee resurfacing as the former is a misnomer, he clarified.

Likewise it is not a replacement like liver or kidney, hence this new terminology (resurfacing) is on a rise in the market, he remarked.

Meanwhile, total knee replacement surgery is now almost painless during operation, said Dr. Gagan who has successfully operated 300 joints with stitch-less technique where no metal stitches are applied on outer skin and is cosmetically also better as the scar marks are almost negligible.