Anterior Cruciate Ligament ( ACL)

• Key guide wire frequently torn.
• Can be repaired if treated early or reconstructed.
• Immediate rehabilitation exercises are important for early return to sports.

Articular Cartilage

• Bearing surface of joints.
• Roughened with arthritis.
• Can now be paste grafted to regrow a new surface.
• Acute injuries can be stimulated to repair.
• Responds to lubricating injections.

Avoiding Osteotomy

Biological Knee Replacement

• Replaces arthritic knee surfaces with a new meniscus, articular cartilage paste graft and ligament reconstruction.
• Osteotomy sometimes required.
• Permits full sports unlike artificial joint replacement.
• Outpatient procedure.

Joint Lubrication

• New injections stimulate natural lubricant in the knee.
• Improves cartilage health.
• Decreases pain.
• Decreases cartilage breakdown.
• Glucosamine orally also stimulates lubrication.

Meniscus Cartilage

• Key shock absorber in knee.
• Can be repaired more often than is thought.
• Can be replaced with an allograft even in arthritis.

Osteotomy

• Bowlegs and Knock knees increase stress on joint surfaces and wear out knees.
• Corrected by rehabilitation exercises and heel wedges.
• Severe deformity corrected by osteotomy.
• Our preferred method avoids the use of plates and external fixators by using an internal wedge.

Pigmented Villonodular Sinovitis (PVNS)

• Common tumor of the joint. *Usually benign.
• Usually can be removed arthroscopically.

Posterior Cruciate Ligament  

• Key posterior stabilizer.
• Can be repaired or replaced. arthroscopically.

Knee Replacement

• Introduction to Artificial Joint Replacements
• Total Knee Replacement (TKR) Surgical Technique
• Partial Knee Replacement (UNI) Surgical Technique
• Options for Blood Transfusion
• Understanding Postoperative Pain Medications
• Postoperative TKR Physical Therapy Protocol