Risks of Knee replacement

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Knee replacement is a major operation, and therefore, like all surgery, carries a degree of risk

The risks include:

Infection of the wound, which requires extended use of antibiotics.
Occasionally the wound becomes deeply infected which requires further surgery, very occasionally requiring total removal of the knee joint.
Sometimes fractures occur in the bone around the artificial joint during surgery or afterwards. Management depends on the degree of fracture and the degree of misalignment of the joint.
Excess bone sometimes forms around the artificial knee joint and causes a restriction in range of movement of the knee.
Numbness of the area around the wound scar sometimes occurs.
Rarely, a blood clot forms in a vein in the leg, causing pain and swelling of the leg, this usually resolves itself. However occasionally part of the blood clot breaks away and is carried to the lungs, causing difficulty in breathing and chest pain. This can usually be treated with blood thinning drugs and oxygen. Very occasionally the clot moves to the lungs and blocks a blood vessel, which is a medical emergency.
Unexpected bleeding into the knee joint sometimes occurs. Treatment includes removing the blood with a needle (aspiration), rest, and to stop taking any blood thinning medicine.
Nerve damage occasionally occurs after knee replacement surgery.