The total knee prosthesis (TKP) replaces all or almost all of the joint.

Indeed, from time to time, depending on the appearance and quality of the patella, it can be preserved (photos PHGA 15). The prosthesis can be fixed by impaction without cement or with cement. This depends on the bone quality discovered during the operation.

This is a major operation lasting about 80 minutes on average. A drain can be put in place at the end of the operation but this is becoming increasingly rare. If this is the case, the drain will be removed at 24 hours.

However, this operation is being carried out more and more often due to the improvement of its results. Nowadays, in a large number of cases, 3 to 4 hours after the operation, the patient can take his first steps and the return home or the passage to the rehabilitation centre takes between 1 to 3 days. With the constant improvement of techniques, outpatient surgery will soon be considered. The pain is little within 24 hours after the operation but reappears in the following days, which is normal due to an increase in activity; it can be fought well with ice, rest and pain treatments to be taken systematically.
The ideal remains the use of a cooling splint (Game Ready or cryo splint) afterwards.

However, it is a matter of "clenching your teeth" for the first week so that you can start to give up your canes within two to three weeks. (video GA 2)

The stairs are attacked quickly but it is true that the descent is always more difficult than the ascent, (video GA 3). This is explained by a muscular insufficiency which is regularly encountered in post-operative care and which explains the major importance of the muscular work in pre-operative care (return to pre-op preparation) and by a completely normal apprehension at the beginning.

The better the muscle mass is, the more the apprehension will disappear, therefore the work of the muscles with your physiotherapist and especially your personal work is very important to obtain an excellent result (video of personal work).

Patients are seen in consultation with an X-ray between 45 days and 2 months, most often the canes have disappeared but the knee is often still swollen and a little warm, which is normal because nature takes some time to adapt to this new joint.
A new check-up will be carried out at 6 months and then at 1 year or the artificial knee can then be judged.
A clinical X-ray check-up every 2 to 3 years is recommended, (photos PHGA 17) A check-up at 5 years and then every 5 years is strongly recommended. Without problems, the life span of a prosthesis is estimated at more than 20 years.