Total knee replacement involves ‘replacing a damaged, worn or diseased knee with an artificial joint’. (1) The number of total knee replacement surgeries performed annually has increased exponentially over the years and surgery has advanced since it was first performed with resulting improvements in outcomes.
The history of total knee replacement began back in 1890 when the German surgeon Themiscotcles Gluck implanted the first primitive hinge joints made of ivory. (Trebše, 2013) However, rates of failure were high, most commonly due to infections, with the artificial joints needing to be removed and frequently proving to be fatal. And if compared to hip implants, which were developed around the same period, artificial knees were less successful,
The history of total knee replacement began back in 1890 when the German surgeon Themiscotcles Gluck implanted the first primitive hinge joints made of ivory. (Trebše, 2013) However, rates of failure were high, most commonly due to infections, with the artificial joints needing to be removed and frequently proving to be fatal. And if compared to hip implants, which were developed around the same period, artificial knees were less successful,