Some knees are more severely involved with arthritis than others. The knee shown in the picture below shows bone on bone grinding in more than one compartment. These knees are best treated with a full or “total” knee replacement which replaces both sides of the knee with metal and plastic surfaces, as well as the knee cap /femur joint which gets a plastic button. This knee demonstrates varus ( or bowed-leg ) deformity, along with subluxation because of loss of ligament stability. Different orthopedic surgeons will use different brands of total knee implants. There are many good choices available and you should talk to your surgeon about why he likes to use the knee that he uses.
