Dr. Caillouette Orthopedics

The knee is the largest joint in the body, and one of the most easily injured. It is made up of the lower end of the thighbone (femur) which rotates on the upper end of the shinbone (tibia), and the knee cap (patella) which slides in a groove on the end of the femur. The knee also contains large ligaments which help control motion by connecting bones and bracing the joint against abnormal types of motion. Other parts of your knee, like cartilage, serve to cushion your knee or help it absorb shock during motion.

Three basic types of arthritis may affect the knee joint.

	1. Osteoarthritis (OA) Osteoarthritis is the most common form of knee arthritis. OA is usually a slowly progressive degenerative disease in which the joint cartilage gradually wears away. It most often affects middle-aged and older people.
	2. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) Rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammatory type of arthritis that can destroy the joint cartilage. RA can occur at any age. RA generally affects both knees.
	3. Post-traumatic arthritis Post-traumatic arthritis can develop after an injury to the knee. This type of arthritis is similar to osteoarthritis and may develop years after a fracture, ligament injury or meniscus tear.

If your arthritis does not respond to lifestyle changes, drug therapies, or other less-invasive treatments, you may be a candidate for surgery. Dr. Caillouette performs a variety of procedures to best suit each individual patient¹s condition. Click on any of the procedures below to learn more.

Total Knee Replacement Surgery:
This procedure replaces the severely damaged knee joint cartilage with an implant of metal and plastic.

Arthroscopic Knee Surgery: This procedure uses fiber optic technology to enable Dr. Caillouette to see inside the joint and clean it of debris or repair torn cartilage.

Unicompartmental Procedure: In this procedure, Dr. Caillouette removes diseased bone and puts an implant in its place. The two small replacement parts are secured to the rest of your knee.

Cartilage Transplant: In this procedure, a sample of healthy cartilage is taken from one area of the patient's body and is used ot replaced the damaged cartilage in the affected joint. In certain situations, an allograft (cadaver graft) may be used.

To learn about non-invasive or less-invasive procedures, explore Managing Arthritis