| A High Tibial Osteotomy is a descriptive term used | | | | stiffness and swelling. |
| to describe an operation used to treat osteoarthritis | | | | A high tibial osteotomy looks to realign the knee to |
| of the knee. An osteotomy is the act of cutting a | | | | evenly share weight between both the inside and |
| bone. 'High Tibial' details the location of this cut, the | | | | outside of the knee. This is achieved by cutting the |
| upper portion of the tibia or shin bone that forms the | | | | bone then either taking a wedge of bone out, or |
| bottom half of the knee joint. | | | | adding a wedge of bone in. |
| A high tibial osteotomy is used to treat | | | | This type of surgery has a long recovery period as |
| unicompartmental osteoarthritis of the knee. This | | | | the cut essentially fractures the main weight bearing |
| means that the arthritic wear is confined to one half | | | | bone of the lower leg. Even after surgically fixing the |
| of the knee - either the inside, or outside of the | | | | bone in its new position, it is unable to take any |
| joint. When arthritis wears down one side of the | | | | weight for a significant period of time. This has a |
| articular cartilage covering the ends of the bones, | | | | major implication for work, lifestyle and everyday |
| angulation occurs. This results in a disproportionate | | | | activities. |
| amount of body weight being taken through the | | | | This operation is not suitable for everyone but can |
| worn side. This in turn leads to an increased rate of | | | | be a valuable tool for those too young for a total |
| wear and an acceleration of symptoms such as pain, | | | | knee replacement. |