Some cases, where the leg is imperfectly aligned, can be treated by an osteotomy . An osteotomy is an operation that cuts the bone, either above or below the knee, and re-aligns the knee to a better position. This is a bigger operation than an arthroscopy and patients usually stay 1 or 2 days in the hospital. It takes 6 to 8 weeks for the bone to heal. Physical therapy is usually required to restore knee motion and strength.
Complete recovery takes a number of months.
An osteotomy is a good operation, especially for younger patients, and those where the leg is clearly not straight and the cartilage wear is confined to one portion of the knee. Unfortunately, the success of an osteotomy decreases as the degree of arthritis increases. In a few cases, only a portion of the knee joint surfaces have worn out and need to the replaced. When only a portion of the knee is replaced, this is called a uni-compartmental arthroplasty . Physical therapy is usually required to restore knee motion and strength.