Knee

We offer advanced keyhole surgery for the investigation and treatment of knee pain and joint injuries — this is called knee arthroscopy. Knee arthroscopy can be used to investigate and treat meniscal (meniscus) tears, anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears, cartilage damage, ligament damage and osteoarthritis.

Cartilage regeneration involves a surgeon making small cuts underneath an injured cartilage in the bone, with the intention that the resultant blood encourages cartilage cell growth.

Cartilage tissue’s ability to repair itself is severely limited because it does not contain blood vessels, and bleeding is necessary for healing.

A torn ACL cannot be repaired by stitching it back together, but it can be reconstructed by attaching (grafting) new tissue on to it.

The ACL can be reconstructed by removing what remains of the torn ligament and replacing it with a tendon from another area of the leg, such as the hamstring or patellar tendon.

The patellar tendon attaches the bottom of the kneecap (patella) to the top of the shinbone (tibia).

A number of different tissues can be used to replace your ACL. Tissue taken from your own body is called an autograft. Tissue taken from a donor is called an allograft.

A meniscal repair can usually be performed arthroscopically. Your orthopaedic surgeon will use a camera and small instruments inserted through small cuts around the knee. The meniscus will be fixed back to the capsule, where it belongs! Small anchors or sutures inside the knee will be used to hold it in place. The advantage of a meniscal repair is that it allows the meniscus to continue its protective role, acting as a shock absorber and stabiliser of the knee. This reduces the risk of developing arthritis in future.

A meniscal resection involves removing the torn part of the meniscus. The minimally-invasive arthroscopic procedure is also known as a meniscectomy. If you require a partial meniscectomy, your doctor will remove a piece of the torn meniscus so your knee can function normally. Only the damaged portion of meniscus will be removed, leaving as much normal tissue as possible.

Microfracture is a technique that can be used to treat an articular cartilage injury or defect that exposes bone. This is performed most often in the knee (it can be used in the elbow, hip, ankle and other joints as well).

Minimally invasive knee replacement differs from traditional knee replacement in that it uses an incision that is smaller and requires less cutting of the tendons and ligaments.  

A partial knee replacement is surgery to replace only one part of a damaged knee. It can replace either the inside (medial) part, the outside (lateral) part, or the kneecap part of the knee.

Surgery to replace the whole knee joint is called total knee replacement.

Surgery to stabilise the kneecap is usually only offered when physiotherapy hasn’t been successful. Options include medial patella-femoral ligament (MPFL) reconstruction, bony realignment surgery and trochleoplasty.

A minimally invasive technique for osteotomy that enables patients to get back to normal activities as quickly as possible. All the results of surgery are carefully monitored so that the treatment is evidence based. In many cases, the results are comparable to joint replacement surgery.

Total knee replacement (TKR, also called total knee arthroplasty) is one of the most successful procedures in orthopedic medicine. This is due to the substantial pain relief and restoration of function patients experience after a knee replacement.

Robotic-assisted knee replacement surgery is one of the new patient-specific, computerised surgical techniques. Using computed tomography (CT) scans, a virtual model of a patient’s knee is built, and robotic technology offers a new level of accuracy for implant positioning.