TKA Axial Alignment - Recon (2024)

FAQs

What is the normal alignment of the knee joint? ›

Normal knee alignment

In general the normal knee joint alignment is 2°–3° of varus compared with the mechanical axis although healthy non-arthritic patients may have different values. In fact obesity, activity and muscle strength, all play a crucial role in the development of arthritis also with a perfect aligned knee.

The normal tibial joint angle (TJA) is 2 to 3° varus to the mechanical axis of the tibia (equivalent to the tibial shaft axis (Figure 5.3-B). Smaller numbers are typically used when describing these terms (e.g., a 3° varus TJA vs. a medial TJA of 87°).

Kinematic alignment (KA) is a technique for total knee arthroplasty that aims to reconstruct patient-specific limb alignment and knee biomechanics based on the pre-arthritic kinematic axes of the patient's femur.

If an artificial joint becomes infected, it may become stiff and painful. The implant may begin to lose its attachment to the bone. Even if the implant remains properly fixed to the bone, pain, swelling, and drainage from the infection usually make revision surgery necessary.

Knock knees can cause the kneecaps to be off-center, which increases pressure and pain in the front of the knee. Knock knee alignment places high stresses on the outside (lateral side) of the knee, causing additional knee pain. These stresses often lead to knee arthritis.

Symptoms may include: Knee stiffness. Grinding or clicking sounds when the knee is extended. Knee giving out unexpectedly.

Each of the 4 quadrants represents 90° and an axis type (eg, 0° to +90° is a normal axis; +90° to 180° is RAD; 0° to -90° is LAD; and -90° degrees to 180 degrees is an extreme axis). Therefore, if leads I and aVF are positive, the axis falls within the normal range.

Positive sign: Normal Q angle score for females is between 13-18° and in males is between 12-15°, with values greater than and lesser these are considered abnormal and may indicate the patient is at risk of developing chondromalacia patellae, patella alta or mal-tracking of the patella.In a research by Clienger et al, ...

Instability may be the result of increased soft-tissue laxity (looseness), or improper positioning or alignment of the prosthesis. The soft tissues, including the ligaments around the knee, may stretch out after surgery and no longer provide the support that the knee needs.

The principle of functional alignment TKA is to restore pre-arthritic alignment and achieve balanced flexion–extension gaps and equal mediolateral soft tissue tension by adjusting bone resections within some limit and/or minimum soft tissue release with robotic-assisted technology [46].

Can you change knee alignment? ›

An osteotomy is a surgical procedure used to alter the alignment of the leg to change the loading pattern of the knee. A cut is made in the tibia (shin bone)and then the cut is opened or closed to change the axis of that bone.

A BioKnee^® is a knee replacement alternative. It combines three key procedures that rebuild, regenerate, or biologically replace the damaged parts of the knee using donor tissues, a patient's own healing response, and growth factors.

Unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) has higher revision rates than total knee arthroplasty (TKA). As revision of UKA may be less technically demanding than revision TKA, UKA patients with poor functional outcomes may be more likely to be offered revision than TKA patients with similar outcomes.

Ongoing pain after knee replacement is complex and can be related to different factors. Factors known to be associated with ongoing pain include inflammation, infection, nerve damage, incorrect positioning of the replacement joint, and depression.

Knees should be “soft” and not locked. Locking your knees forces the pelvis and chest to be pushed out, which causes undo stress on the lower back. It is also difficult to maintain proper balance in an unnatural posture. The pelvis should be in a neutral position, with the sternum facing straight ahead.

You should adjust your chair high and sit toward the front of the seat pan with your knees dropped much lower than your thighs with an open trunk to thigh angle. You should sit with your low back straight and your trunk held near erect- not bent forward.

Mechanical alignment of the knee requires that the tibial and femoral cuts be perpendicular to the mechanical axis of each bone in the coronal plane. The neutral mechanical alignment is described as a hip-knee-ankle acute angle of 0° ± 3 [1,3].