A knee surgery is too generic a name to describe any one procedure. However, it is normally meant to mean either a partial or a total knee replacement. It needs to be understood that there are other surgical interventions carried out in the knee as well.
Components of a knee
Some of the common procedures are mending fractures in the bones in the joint or removing or repairing the patella and repairing ligament tears. There are three bones in the knee joint, two of which are load bearing and another to give stability. These are the thigh bone, the Femur, the shin bone or the Tibia and the Patella or the knee cap. The fibula is a slender bone lying beside the Tibia on its outer side and affords stability. These bones are held tightly in position by a few ligament and tendons. The anterior cruciate ligament holds the Femur and Tibia together tightly in the front at the same time allowing movement. The posterior cruciate ligament does same in the rear. The two tendons, the medial collateral, and the lateral collateral lie on the inner and outer sides of the knee. The Patellar tendon, which is strictly a ligament, holds the patella close to the femur.
Types of knee surgeries
These surgeries are not without their drawbacks. Besides the general risks of anesthesia, these surgeries can also cause embolisms, infections and in some cases persistent pain. Although a good, well-fitted joint serves well for over 20-25 years, premature failures are known to have happened.