Knee implants consist of 4 parts all made of metal and plastic. A schematic of a total knee replacement is shown to the right of this paragraph. A metal femoral component caps the end of your thigh bone and a metal tibial component caps the top of your shin bone. (in the picture the femur is the top bone and the tibia is below) A piece of plastic is snapped into the tibial tray and articulates with the metal femoral component. A plastic button is then fixed to the undersurface of the kneecap to replace the one which has become arthritic and worn. The metal pieces are usually cemented to the ends of your bones. This is called a total knee replacement.
If only one part of your knee has arthritis, then just that one part of your knee can be replaced using minimally invasive techniques. These partial knee replacements can often be done as outpatient or overnite stay procedures. This may allow for a faster recovery.
