Knee Surgery at OSI
OSI surgeons perform the full range of knee surgery, from arthroscopic meniscus and ligament repair to partial and total knee replacement. The right procedure is chosen from your diagnosis, imaging, and goals, and the surgeon who recommends it performs it and follows your recovery.
Knee operations are performed at our partner hospitals across the region, with follow-up at any of our six clinic locations. For information on knee conditions, evaluation, and non-operative treatment, see Knee Care at OSI, or browse the full list of knee conditions.
Joint Replacement
Total knee replacement is one of the most reliable operations in orthopedics. It replaces the worn-out surfaces of the knee (the ends of the femur and tibia, and the underside of the kneecap) with metal and plastic implants that recreate a smooth, pain-free arc of motion. The operation takes about an hour; most patients go home the same day or the next morning. Most total knee replacements last 15 to 20 years or longer.
Partial knee replacement is an option when arthritis is limited to one part of the knee, usually the inner side. It saves more of your own bone, keeps the main knee ligaments in place, and tends to feel more like a natural knee. But it only works when the rest of the joint is healthy and the ligaments are intact. Not every arthritic knee qualifies, and your surgeon will be direct about whether yours does.
Revision total knee replacement is a bigger, more complex operation reserved for patients whose previous knee replacement has worn out, loosened, become infected, or is painful for a definable mechanical reason. The original implants are removed and replaced with larger, more supportive ones, often with extra parts to make up for lost bone. Recovery is longer than a first-time replacement.
Ligament Reconstruction
ACL reconstruction is a common ligament surgery at OSI. The torn ACL is replaced with a graft (typically patellar tendon, hamstring tendon, or quadriceps tendon) threaded through small tunnels drilled in the femur and tibia and anchored in place. The graft takes about 9 to 12 months to fully heal, which is why returning to pivoting sports is rarely earlier than nine months no matter how good the knee feels at six.
PCL reconstruction is less common. Many PCL tears can be treated without surgery because the ligament can often heal enough to work. But when the looseness is severe, or when the PCL is torn along with other ligaments, surgery rebuilds the support that keeps the knee stable.
Multi-ligament knee reconstruction addresses knees with two or more torn ligaments, often from a knee dislocation event. These are complex procedures, staged if necessary, that reconstruct multiple structures in a single setting or in planned sequence. The goal is a stable, functional knee; the rehabilitation is long and highly supervised.
Meniscus Surgery
The meniscus is a C-shaped cartilage wedge that distributes load across the knee. Losing meniscus tissue accelerates arthritis, so the decision between repair and removal is one of the most important in knee surgery.
Meniscus repair stitches the torn cartilage back together. Repair works best when the tear is in the outer part of the meniscus, which has a blood supply and can heal, and when the tissue is healthy enough to hold the stitches. Repair means a longer recovery than trimming, often about six weeks of limited weight and bending, but the payoff is keeping the knee's natural shock absorber.
Meniscus root repair fixes a tear where the meniscus attaches to the tibia. When this anchor point tears, the meniscus can no longer spread out the load across the knee, even if the rest of it looks fine on an MRI. Reattaching it restores that cushioning.
When the tear cannot be repaired, for example a worn-out tear in tissue that has no blood supply to heal, partial meniscectomy trims away the loose, torn pieces while keeping as much healthy meniscus as possible. It is a camera-based (arthroscopic) operation and recovery is quick, but it is a trade-off: less meniscus means more load on the cartilage underneath.
Kneecap and Extensor Mechanism
MPFL reconstruction stabilizes a kneecap that keeps slipping out of place or fully dislocating. The MPFL is the main ligament that holds the kneecap in its groove; when it is torn and has not healed well, rebuilding it with a graft prevents further episodes. Tibial tubercle osteotomy shifts the spot where the kneecap tendon attaches to the tibia so the kneecap tracks better, sometimes on its own and sometimes together with MPFL reconstruction.
Patellar tendon repair and quadriceps tendon repair are acute operations for ruptured tendons. The patellar tendon connects the bottom of the kneecap to the tibia; the quadriceps tendon connects the top of the kneecap to the quadriceps muscle. A complete rupture of either means you cannot actively straighten the knee, and surgical repair is the standard of care.
Cartilage and Alignment
Cartilage restoration tries to regrow or replace small patches of lost cartilage in younger patients who are not ready for a joint replacement. There are several techniques, and your surgeon will match the method to your injury. These procedures treat a single damaged spot, like a pothole in an otherwise smooth road, not widespread arthritis.
High tibial osteotomy straightens a bowed leg to shift weight off the worn-out inner part of the knee and onto healthier cartilage on the other side. It can buy time, often a decade or more, before a knee replacement becomes necessary. The best candidate is a younger, active patient with arthritis in just one part of the knee, a leg shape that can be corrected, and good motion.
Fracture Surgery Around the Knee
Fractures around the knee (tibial plateau, patella, distal femur, and tibial shaft) are fixed with plates and screws or a metal rod inside the bone, depending on where the break is and what it looks like. These are trauma injuries managed through our fracture-care service. For the full picture, see Fracture & Trauma Care here.
All Knee Procedures We Perform
Joint replacement
Ligament reconstruction
Meniscus
Kneecap & extensor mechanism
Cartilage & alignment
Fracture fixation
What Surgery Day Looks Like
Most knee arthroscopy is outpatient: you come in, have the procedure, and go home the same day. Knee replacement patients usually go home the same day or the next morning. Before surgery, the anesthesiologist places a nerve block that keeps the knee comfortable for the first stretch. You leave with written instructions and a plan for your first follow-up visit. Someone needs to drive you home.
Recovery and What to Expect
Recovery timelines vary widely by procedure. A partial meniscectomy patient is often walking normally in two to three weeks. An ACL reconstruction takes about 9 to 12 months before return to cutting sports. A total knee replacement reaches its stride around three to six months but continues improving for a year. In every case, the rehabilitation that follows is what drives recovery, and for some knee replacement patients home health is arranged so it can start at home.
Your surgeon will give you specific milestones and restrictions for each phase (when to bear weight, when to bend past a certain point, when to start impact activities) and adjust them based on how your knee is responding, not a calendar.
Who You Will See Here
All three of our board-certified orthopedic surgeons perform knee surgery, with fellowship-trained sports medicine expertise from Dr. Vrana adding particular depth in ligament reconstruction, meniscus preservation, and cartilage procedures, and he performs knee revisions. Meet our providers.
