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Conditions | Hip and Knee Surgery

Information, articles and resources on surgery and arthritis. Learn more about the various surgical treatments and orthopedic procedures.
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Learn More About Hip and Knee Surgery

Need to know more about how hip or knee arthritis surgery will affect you or someone you care for? Learn all the basics here:

     » Introduction to Knee Arthritis Surgery
     » Evaluation for Knee Arthritis Surgery
     » Knee Arthritis Surgical Options

     » Introduction to Hip Arthritis Surgery
     » Evaluation for Hip Arthritis Surgery
     » Hip Arthritis Surgical Options

Knee and Hip Surgery Research

Knee and Hip Surgery Satisfaction

Has anyone asked you after surgery how you felt about the whole process? A 2001 study was done to give a more detailed account of recovery from the patient’s perspective...

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Knee Anatomy

by Raymond H. Kim, MD & Douglas A. Dennis, MD

The knee joint is made up of four bones: the femur (thigh bone), the tibia (the larger shin bone), the fibula (the smaller shin bone) and the patella (knee cap).

knee anatomy front

knee anatomy side

As previously discussed, the articular cartilage is the shiny, glistening surface on the ends of the bones, which allows the joint to move and glide. There are ligaments on either side of the knee called collateral ligaments, and two criss-cross ligaments in the center of the knee called the cruciate ligaments. These ligaments provide stability for the knee. Between the femur and the tibia are two C-shaped cartilage rings and each one is called a meniscus. The meniscus serves as an additional shock absorber, provides some stability to the knee, and is sometimes torn due to athletic injury. The lining of the joint is called the synovium, which serves to produce lubricating joint fluid.

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