Knee Surgery

Knees are strong joints that support your body weight even at speed, but the bones can fracture with enough force. The Orthopedic Trauma Surgeons of Northern California team in Carmichael, California, excels in the latest knee surgery techniques, including full and partial knee replacements.

What is knee surgery?

Knee surgery repairs injuries that won’t heal well using other treatments. Many knee surgeries use minimally invasive arthroscopic techniques to reduce tissue damage and pain after surgery and encourage a faster recovery.

Orthopedic Trauma Surgeons of Northern California specializes in knee surgery for acute (sudden) injuries. These usually involve trauma from an auto accident, sports injury, or severe fall that results in a fracture (broken bone).

Which injuries require urgent knee surgery?

The Orthopedic Trauma Surgeons of Northern California team sees many acute knee injuries. Common ones include:

Patellar (kneecap) fractures

The patella at the front of your knee is a small bone usually called the kneecap. It acts as a shield for the joint. This function leaves the patella vulnerable to fractures, especially if you fall on your knees or receive a direct blow to the kneecap.

Distal femur fractures

The distal femur is the bottom of your thigh bone, which joins the knee. Distal femur fractures are more common in older people with weak bones and anyone involved in a car accident. The fractures can extend into your knee and sometimes shatter the bone into many fragments (comminuted fracture).

Proximal tibia fracture

The proximal tibia is the upper part of your shinbone, where it joins the knee. Fractures here are often caused by high-energy accidents like falling from a considerable height, trauma suffered while playing sports, and car crashes.

These fractures can be transverse (straight across) or comminuted (broken into many pieces). Sometimes they separate the bone surfaces in your knee, damaging the cartilage that protects the bones. These intra-articular fractures can be challenging to treat.

Which knee surgery might I need?

If the fractured bones in your knee are out of place, you’ll probably need surgery. The procedure your Orthopedic Trauma Surgeons of Northern California surgeon chooses to do will depend on your injury. The choices include:

Internal fixation

Internal fixation uses rods, plates, pins, wires, and/or screws to reattach the bones.

External fixation

Your surgeon fixes metal pins or screws into your bones and attaches them to an external frame.

Bone fragment removal

Your surgeon removes bone pieces that are too small to repair.

Joint replacement

If your fracture is severe, your surgeon will implant an artificial knee.