A person may want to consider knee replacement surgery if they have a stiff, painful knee that prevents them from performing even the simplest of activities and other treatments are no longer working.
Once you are under general
anesthesia (meaning you are temporarily put to sleep), spinal, or epidural
(numb below the waist) anesthesia, an eight- to twelve-inch cut is made in the
front of the knee. The damaged part of the joint is removed from the surface of
the bones, and the surfaces are then shaped to hold a metal or plastic
artificial joint. The artificial joint is attached to the thigh bone, shin and
knee cap either with cement or a special material. When fit together, the
attached artificial parts form the joint, relying on the surrounding muscles
and ligaments for support and function. WebMD