About Dr. Della Valle
Dr. Della Valle is a professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Rush University Medical Center. He is not only a busy surgeon (having performed more than 11,000 hip and knee replacements) but a respected leader in the field of hip and knee research. He travels extensively sharing his research and these experiences allow him exposure to the most up to date information to maximize patient quality of care.
More about Dr. Della Valle Dr. Della Valle's CV Schedule an AppointmentWhat is a partial knee replacement?
Orthopaedic surgeons think about the knee as having (3) parts; the inside or medial compartment, the outside or lateral compartment and the knee cap or patellofemoral compartment. Partial knee replacements involve replacing one of these three compartments.
Partial vs Total Knee Replacement
What are the benefits of a partial knee replacement?
The benefits of a partial knee replacement include less pain, a faster recovery and a lower risk of complications after the surgery when compared to a total knee replacement. Patients who have a partial knee may also have a knee that feels more “normal” as more of their own knee is kept in place including the anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments that stabilize the knee joint.
What are the potential negatives of a partial knee replacement?
The potential negatives of a partial knee replacement include leaving behind parts of your knee joint that could be causing you pain.
Who is a candidate for a partial knee replacement?
In my practice about 1 in every 3 patients is a candidate for a partial knee replacement. In general, the best candidates for a partial knee replacement have arthritis in only one part of their knee, an intact anterior and posterior cruciate ligament and good range of motion or knee flexibility.
Patient who is appropriate for a partial knee replacement. Arthritis is only present on the inside of the knee (circle)
How long will a partial knee replacement last?
Data from Rush suggests that 90% of our partial knees are still working well at 20 years after surgery! Hence we view partial knee replacement as an alternative to a full knee replacement and not as a “bridge” procedure.
Journal Article: Long-term survivorship and failure modes of unicompartmental knee arthroplasty »
Will I get arthritis in the other parts of my knee?
That is a common question and the answer is yes, you could develop arthritis in the other parts of your knee but it seems to be a rare occurrence. As described above, durability of our partial knees is 90% still working well at 20 years after surgery.
Can I return to work after surgery?
Most patients are comfortable returning to work 6-8 weeks after surgery. We can provide a maximum recovery time of 12 weeks.
How long do I have to use a walker, crutches or a cane?
We recommend that you use a walker, crutches or a cane for the first week after surgery. If you feel that you can walk safely without something after a week you may do so.
Do I need formal physical therapy after surgery?
We would recommend that you work on exercises that focus on knee flexion/extension and also hip strengthening. Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush now has six physical therapy locations (https://www.rushortho.com/clinical-staff/physical-therapists) and we highly recommend these facilities as we know the physical therapists there and they will call us directly if you are having any type of an issue or problem that we need to be aware of. You may chose to do exercises on your own with the guidance of our texting service.
https://www.arthroplastyjournal.org/article/S0883-5403(18)30197-9/fulltext
Partial knee replacement surgery videos
Learn more about partial knee replacement surgery by Craig J. Della Valle, MD in the videos below.
