Wear or tear or osteoarthritis of the knee in many cases may just involve one side of the knee, either the inside part or the outside portion of the knee joint.

As the joint surfaces wear, the joint spaces between the tibia or shinbone and the femur or thighbone, will narrow. This changes the alignment of the knee, resulting in either a bow legged type deformity of a knocked knee type deformity.

Osteotomy is a treatment, which aligns the change in knee alignment and as a result off loads the painful, worn part of the knee putting the load onto the other side or unworn part of the knee joint.

The procedure involves taking a portion of bone from the tibia (shin bone) or the femur (thigh bone). In doing this the leg is realigned and the new position is held with a metal plate and screws while the bone heals in a similar fashion to the healing of a fracture.

This procedure is not suitable for all patients. A number of factors need to be taken into consideration including the patient’s age and the extent of the arthritis within the knee joint.