Instability with an artificial knee joint: what to do?

Buckling and gait instability despite artificial knee joint

There are various causes of buckling, which should be clarified in detail by a knee specialist. The constant buckling of the artificial knee joint can occur shortly after the operation or only manifest itself at a later stage. The timing of the buckling provides the experienced knee surgeon with important information about the cause.

Unbalanced sidebands

The collateral ligaments on the knee joint are important stabilisers of an artificial knee joint and prevent the knee joint from bending inwards or outwards to the side. If they have not been optimally adapted to the new situation during the operation, this is referred to as unbalanced collateral ligaments. The result is that you buckle under load: to the side on which the collateral ligament is less taut.

Torn collateral ligament or problems with the prosthesis

Another cause of an artificial knee joint buckling can be a complete or partial tear of a collateral ligament, for example after an accident or if the elasticity of the collateral ligament decreases over time. One-sided wear of the plastic prosthesis inlay or subsidence of the lower leg component due to a fall or osteoporosis can also be responsible for buckling. In addition to the collateral ligaments, the thigh muscles are also important for the stability of the knee joint. Muscle weakness or neurological diseases resulting in muscle weakness can also cause the knee joint to buckle.

Revision operation

If the knee joint clicks in on a daily basis and the uncertainty and corresponding fear of falling increases, the symptoms must be clarified by a knee specialist. As varied as the causes of an artificial joint snapping are, there are a wide range of treatment options available. Depending on the cause, these can be conservative (without surgery) or surgical. Conservative therapy focuses on physiotherapy, muscle-building training, supports and anti-inflammatory medication. Surgical therapy ranges from reconstruction and reinforcement of the torn collateral ligament, to changing the plastic inlay and replacing it with a thicker inlay, to removing the artificial knee joint and installing a new, stable artificial knee joint, a so-called revision prosthesis. An unstable knee prosthesis is a common reason for a repeat operation on the artificial knee joint. This is referred to as revision surgery.

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