Surgery Overview

Osteotomy ("bone cutting") is a procedure in which a surgeon removes a wedge of bone near a damaged joint. This shifts weight from an area where there is damaged cartilage to an area where there is more or healthier cartilage. In osteoarthritis, cartilage breakdown in the knee often is much greater in the inner part of the knee joint, often resulting in a bowlegged appearance.

In knee osteotomy for osteoarthritis of the inner knee, your surgeon removes bone from the outer side of the large lower leg bone (tibia) near the knee. This tilts your body weight toward the outer, healthier part of the knee cartilage and away from the inner, damaged cartilage. Weight is spread more evenly across the joint cartilage. After removing the bone wedge, your surgeon will bring together the remaining bones and secure them, most often with either pins or staples. An osteotomy for osteoarthritis of the outer knee is just the opposite—your surgeon will remove bone from the inner side of the lower leg to shift the weight toward the inner knee.

Osteotomy may be effective for hip and knee joints. Doctors often do an osteotomy to correct certain knee deformities such as bowleg (varus) and knock-knee (valgus) deformities of the knees. Hip osteotomy involves removing bone from the upper thighbone (femur). Osteotomy may allow an active person to postpone a total joint replacement for a few years and is usually reserved for younger people.