Osteotomy

A knee osteotomy is generally reserved for patients who have damage on just one side of the joint.A knee osteotomy is a surgical procedure that is commonly used for young, active patients who have articular cartilage damage on only one side of the knee joint. The surgeon will remove a small wedge of bone from either the upper tibia (shinbone), called a high tibial osteotomy, or the lower femur (thigh bone), called a distal femoral osteotomy. These procedures involve removing the small wedge from the outside of the knee and are known as closing wedge osteotomies. They are designed to reshape the bone and shift the body’s weight to relieve pressure and pain on the knee joint.

In some cases, an opening wedge osteotomy may be necessary, which involves using a small wedge bone graft on the inside of the knee, along with plates and screws to hold the newly shaped bones in place and restore balance to the knee.

It is important to understand that while a knee osteotomy can be highly effective for many patients, it is not a permanent solution. The procedure can provide relief from symptoms and delay the need for a total knee replacement for 8-10 years, on average.