Partial Knee Resurfacing (PKR)

There are three compartments to the knee: the medial (inside) compartment, the lateral (outside) compartment and the patellofemoral (kneecap) compartment. Depending on where the arthritis affects your knee, partial knee resurfacing may be an option for you. PKR is a growing procedure. There are approximately 70,000 partial knee resurfacing procedures done in the U.S. each year.

Partial knee resurfacing is a surgical procedure for helping to relieve arthritis in one compartment of the knee. With PKR, only the damaged surface of the knee joint is replaced, helping to minimize trauma to healthy bone and tissue. The surgeon removes only damaged bone in the affected knee and fits the implant to that bone. Because the PKR artificial joints are smaller than total knee implants, the surgical incision may be smaller as well. Since most of the knee joint is unaffected and the basic knee structure remains intact, post- operative pain may be reduced and the recovery period may be shorter than total knee replacement.

Unicompartmental Knee Resurfacing is a procedure that resurfaces only the affected compartment of the arthritic femur and the tibia.

Patellofemoral Knee Resurfacing is a procedure that resurfaces the worn patella and the trochlea (the groove at the end of the thighbone).

Benefits of Partial Knee Resurfacing - Quicker Recovery

Because the PKR artificial joints are smaller than total knee implants, the surgical incision may be smaller. A smaller incision may lead to a smaller scar. Other potential benefits to PKR include a quicker operation and a shorter hospital stay compared to a total knee replacement. Rehabilitation may also be more progressive. Because less bone is removed and there is less trauma to soft tissue during surgery, your knee may feel more natural than with a total knee replacement.