Knee Replacement Surgery in London

Knee replacement surgery, also known as Knee Arthroplasty is a common surgical procedure that replaces damaged bone and cartilage in the knee with an artificial joint. The procedure can improve a patient’s quality of life by reducing knee pain and increasing mobility. Patients can get back to doing their favourite activities and live with less pain.

Patients may require a total knee replacement or a partial knee replacement, depending on the extent of the damage to the knee. During a total knee replacement, the surgeon will remove both the bottom of the thigh bone (femur) and the top of the shin bone (tibia) along with any cartilage that remains. This procedure results in larger incisions and, likely, larger scars than the partial knee replacement. It will also take longer to recover from a total knee replacement procedure.

A partial knee replacement involves replacing only one side of the knee joint, either the inside (medial) or the outside (lateral). Therefore, if patients have a partial knee replacement, the surgeon will only remove part of the bottom of the thigh bone (femur) and part of the top of the shin bone (tibia) on one side of the knee joint.

Knee replacement candidates often suffer from some form of arthritis. Most commonly, this is osteoarthritis but may also be rheumatoid or traumatic arthritis. Conditions such as gout and death of the knee bones may also require a knee replacement. Nearly all candidates suffer from knee pain and stiffness. The procedure can rectify these issues and thereby drastically improve mobility and quality of life.

Knee replacement surgery in London with Medbelle typically costs around £13,000. However, a final price for each individual patient can only be determined after a consultation with the surgeon. The personalised price plan will cover all fees related to your hospital stay, including:

• Accommodation
• Nursing care
• Surgical theatre fees
• Physiotherapy
• Imaging costs
• Medication
• Pathology

It will also cover all aftercare costs to assist you patients with their recovery and help maximise results. This includes

• Seven days worth of any medications prescribed by the surgeon
• A standard mobility aid like crutches or a cane
• Ten post-operative physiotherapy sessions
• One post-operative X-ray
• Post-operative appointments with the surgeon

The consultation with an orthopaedic surgeon is important to a patient's journey. It typically takes anywhere between 15 minutes to an hour to complete. The surgeon and the patient will discuss the following:

• Medical history and overall health
• Expectations and realistic outcomes from surgery
• Recovery and aftercare information

It will also include

• a physical examination
• imaging of the knee, if required

It can be difficult to make the right decision when choosing which surgeon or hospital you entrust with your journey. Learning about surgical techniques and the risk of surgery can be overwhelming, but we are here to make that journey simple, transparent and stress-free. When you sign-up with Medbelle, you will be contacted by one of our Patient Care Advisers, they will be your personal guide through the process from beginning to end. They will take care of all the appointment scheduling, keep you updated at every turn and support you with anything you need.

The first step is a call with one of our Patient Care Advisers. This is an opportunity for you to explain why you would like knee replacement surgery. You will hear more about the procedure, the prices and also learn about our locations and surgeons.

During this call, you will have the opportunity to book a consultation with the surgeon who is the best match for you. The surgeon consultation costs £245. Your PCA will check in with you in the lead up to your consultation to ensure that you are prepared. You will also receive pre-consultation leaflets with useful information about what to expect moving forward.

They will check in with you post-consultation to see how it went. The treatment date and final price will be offered shortly after this by your Patient Care Adviser.

Artificial joints are made to last for a long time. The materials used should be able to withstand the routines of active people. Most knee replacements last 10 to 15 years, however, there is research being done to see how we can make these artificial joints last even longer.

Total knee replacements tend to last longer than partial knee replacements. You are more likely to need another knee replacement if you are overweight or do regular heavy, manual work. It is important to have regular X-rays of your knee to review how your new joint is doing.

Your surgeon will advise you on how often you should have an X-ray – it may be every 5 years or so. If you have any complications like loosening or wearing away of your new knee joint, you may require revision surgery to fix this.

Yes. Your physiotherapist will work with you while you are still in hospital to achieve this goal. This is particularly important if you live in a house with stairs. We want you to be able to leave hospital feeling confident that you can manoeuvre around your house safely.

While it is really important to be active after your knee replacement, you will need to build up your activities gradually. You will eventually be able to partake in light activities like jogging, cycling or dancing. However, high-impact activities like running, jumping and heavy lifting will not be possible for quite some time. Doing these sorts of activities against your surgeon’s advice may risk causing damage to your new knee joint.

Your physiotherapist will show you some exercises you can do to build up the muscle strength in your legs. It is important to follow this advice if you want to make a full recovery.

All of the information found on our website is sourced from highly reputable experts, government-approved authorities and is widely used by healthcare professionals.

• https://www.medbelle.com/hip-surgery/hip-replacement-surgery/ Medbelle
• https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/hip-replacement/ NHS
• https://www.rcseng.ac.uk/ Royal College of Surgeons England
• https://britishhipsociety.com/ British Hip Society
• Uptodate.com Up to Date
• https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/ankylosing-spondylitis/ NHS
• https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/diseases--conditions/arthritis-an-overview/ Ortho Info
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17106388/ Public Medical
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3228584/ National Center for Biotechnology Information
• https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/diseases--conditions/arthritis-an-overview/ Ortho Info
• https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/diseases--conditions/inflammatory-arthritis-of-the-hip Ortho Info

Our content is written by our Medical Quality Managers and Patient Care Advisers, all of who have medical backgrounds and training. Before publishing, all the information is reviewed by a surgeon specialised within the relevant field.