Knee

Dr. Akinbo is a fellowship trained joint replacement surgeon. He routinely manages knee arthritis with individualized treatment plans that could be surgical or non-surgical. Non-surgical measures of managing knee arthritis include home exercises, pain medications, physical therapy, cortisone injections, and viscosupplementation injections. Dr. Akinbo performs partial or total knee replacement surgeries when non-surgical measures have failed. He performs computer navigated knee replacements when indicated. He also performs revision knee replacement when a knee replacement has failed.

Knee Arthritis

Knee arthritis develops when the cartilage in the knee has worn out. This can cause pain. The pain can be debilitating. Pain is mostly with walking or standing, but can also be present at rest. Pain can be localized to one part of the knee or to multiple parts of the knee. Knee arthritis can be managed without surgery. Surgery is considered when the pain can no longer be managed non-surgically. Surgery is usually a form of knee replacement which can be partial or total knee replacement with or without computer navigation. Click here for more information on knee arthritis.

Partial Knee Replacement

Partial knee replacement can be performed when arthritis in the knee is only limited to one part of the knee. People with arthritis in just one part of the knee will often be able to point to exactly one spot in the knee as the source of their pain. X-rays will often confirm that the arthritis is limited to one part of the knee. The partial knee replacement will involve replacing just the affected part of the knee with metal and plastic making motion in that part of the knee painless again. A partial knee can reliably provide good relief when arthritis is limited to just one compartment/part of the knee. Click here for more information on partial knee replacement.

Total Knee Replacement

Total knee replacement can be performed when arthritis in the knee is in more than one part of the knee. Total knee replacement will replace all the cartilage at the end of the thigh bone and the top of the leg bone. The cartilage over the knee cap will sometimes be replaced too if arthritic. Total knee replacement replaces the cartilage with metal and plastic components giving a new knee that restores motion and function to the knee. Often times, patients will need physical therapy after surgery to rehabilitate the replaced knee. Click here for more information on total knee replacement. For a video on knee replacement surgery, click here. Click here for information on partial versus total knee replacement.

Revision Total Knee Replacement

Revision total knee replacement is re-do surgery for a knee replacement that has failed. Figuring out a knee replacement has failed and how/why will often require careful examination, imaging, and laboratory studies. A failed knee replacement can cause significant pain issues; sometimes, the pain is as bad as what it was before the initial knee replacement and could even be worse. A painful knee replacement can benefit from surgery when indicated and when the cause for failure has been identified. Knee revision surgeries can involve removing one or all of the components of the initial knee replacement and replacing with new components. See revision total knee replacement for more information on revision total knee replacement.