Exercising the knee and leg muscles following surgery is extremely important to the success of the total knee replacement.

Exercises aim to quickly regain increasing motion in the knee following surgery, prevent muscle loss, which is inevitable after surgery, rebuild the muscle strength and prevent stiffness of the new knee joint.

It is important therefore, to carefully follow the rehabilitation instructions given by the physical therapists and doctors.

Once the anesthetic has been given and the patient prepared: the damaged joint surfaces are removed. An incision approximately eight inches in length is made on the front of the knee.

The damaged joint surfaces are removed from all 3 bones making up the knee joint. Sometimes, depending on the surgeon, the back of the knee cap is left intact if it is not badly affected by the arthritis. The surrounding muscles and most of the ligaments are preserved.

The General Exam Prior To Surgery.

Because in most cases the patient is admitted to the hospital the morning of the surgery, the person will be scheduled for an appointment for preadmission testing several days to a few weeks before surgery usually consisting of:

As with all major surgical procedures, complications can occur. Some of the most common complications following knee replacement are:

Options available that hold the knee replacement into position:

Broadly speaking, there are four basic categories of knee replacements depending on the degree of mechanical stability provided by the design of the artificial knee:

Total knee replacements are usually performed on people suffering from painful arthritic conditions of the knee severe enough to limit one's normal day to day activities.

Any condition affecting the knee that causes damage to the normally smooth lining cartilage of the knee may eventually end up with the same end result. The protective cartilage lining the joint becomes worn away, producing increasing damage to the bone surfaces inside the joint. This may cause pain, swelling and stiffness, as the exposed bone ends grind painfully against each other.

Here are some reliable sources that can provide more information on osteoporosis.

The National Osteoporosis Foundation offers a free kit for men entitled "Bone Wise Strong Bones for Life." It is available by writing to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, P.O. Box 96616, Dept. MQ, Washington, DC 20077

A wealth of information and patient stories are available on the International Osteoporosis Foundation Web site at http://www.osteofound.org/