Knee Repair Surgery

When knee pain becomes unbearable, doctors at UT Southwestern Medical Center are experts in diagnosing the cause and determining which patients are candidates for knee repair surgery.

Our board-certified orthopaedic specialists offer comprehensive surgical treatment plans that incorporate physical therapy before and after surgery for better results. Our experienced surgeons treat a high volume of patients, giving them the skills they need to consistently achieve positive outcomes.

A Comprehensive Approach to Knee Repair

The knee joint is the largest joint in the body and one of the most easily injured. It is also vital to a wide variety of activities, from sports and gardening to everyday movements such as standing and walking. It’s no wonder knee injuries can be so painful and debilitating.

UT Southwestern offers advanced treatments that other centers don’t, such as arthroscopic hemophiliac synovectomies in pediatric patients and an anatomic approach to ACL reconstruction. These advanced treatments result in better outcomes for our patients.

Conditions

We treat a variety of knee conditions, such as:

• Arthritis, including rheumatoid, post-traumatic, psoriatic, and osteoarthritis
• Avascular bone necrosis (damages blood supply to joint)
• Fractures and dislocation
• Injuries to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), posterior cruciate ligament (PCL), and medial collateral ligament (MCL)
• Joint pain (arthralgia)
• Knee bursitis
• Meniscus tears
• Sprained or strained knee ligaments or muscles
• Tendinitis (patellar tendinitis)
• Torn cartilage

Symptoms

In addition to knee pain, symptoms of a knee injury or a knee disorder include:

• Cracking sound or sensation
• Discomfort and pain when walking
• Instability
• Locking
• Stiffness and loss of range of motion
• Swelling

Diagnosis

To ensure the most effective treatment, our doctors uncover the cause of a patient’s knee pain using thorough diagnostic tests.

Initially, our specialists will take a careful patient history and perform a physical examination to diagnose the likely cause of the knee pain.

We might order X-rays if we need to look at the joint. Computed tomography (CT) scans and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) might also be used to get a more complete look at soft-tissue injuries to ligaments, cartilage, and tendons.

Once we’ve uncovered the underlying source of the knee pain, we’ll create a treatment plan targeted at the cause of the symptoms.

Knee Repair Treatment

We offer knee arthroscopy and knee osteotomy to fix injured knees, as well as knee reconstruction or knee replacement surgery for more complex cases.

Knee Arthroscopy

Knee arthroscopy is typically used to repair torn or damaged meniscus cartilage, remove loose fragments of bone and cartilage, and reconstruct ACLs and PCLs.

In knee arthroscopy, a surgeon inserts a tiny scope attached to a camera through small incisions in the knee. The high-resolution camera gives the surgeon a close-up view of the inside of the knee joint, which helps confirm the cause of the knee pain and perform the surgery. The surgeon makes small incisions around the knee joint to insert surgical tools and repair or reconstruct the damaged cartilage or ligaments.

Knee Osteotomy

Knee osteotomy is used to treat deformity of the knee caused by trauma or osteoarthritis. In a knee osteotomy, either the tibia (shinbone) or femur (thighbone) is cut and then reshaped to relieve pressure on the knee joint.