A knee replacement operation is one of the most successful operations in Orthopaedic Surgery. Hundreds of thousands of these operations are now carried out every year worldwide with excellent results. It's modern form is based upon principles and materials that were invented here in the U.K. in the 1960s by Sir John Charnley when he developed his artificial hip joint.
Knee replacement surgery becomes necessary when the knee joint has been badly damaged from any cause and the resulting pain cannot be satisfactorily controlled by nonsurgical means. The usual problems that can end up in the need for a knee replacement include any one of the many types of arthritis such as Osteoarthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Gout and damage from injury.