While Suresh Raina recovers from his surgery in Amsterdam, here's a primer on the most common knee surgeries

On Friday, 09 August, cricketer Suresh Raina underwent knee surgery after persistent pains and niggles made it difficult for him to stay in the batting crease.

Raina, who had flown to Amsterdam for treatment, said in a  Tweet  that he had knee surgery in 2007 too. The stipulated recovery period of four-six weeks means he would not be able to play in upcoming matches.

Of course, sportspeople are no strangers to injuries. From workload injuries to impact injuries and stress fractures, aches, pains and procedures are par for the course.

There are many examples of medical interventions among the current crop of Indian cricketers to help with their knee niggles. For example, Cheteshwar Pujara had knee surgery in 2011. And in 2015, Mohammed Shami got a workload injury so bad, his doctors had to drain fluid from his knee before every match.

While the exact nature of Raina’s treatment and surgery is still unclear here’s a list of the most common knee surgeries:

Ligament repair

Ligaments are connective tissues between bones. There are four types of knee ligaments: anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) that controls rotation and forward movement; posterior cruciate ligament that controls the backward movement of the shin; medial collateral ligament is for inner knee stability; and finally, lateral collateral ligament provides stability to the outer knee. Injury or disease can damage the ligaments, leading to severe knee pain.

Sportsmen often face ACL tears. “When physical therapy or medications fail to relieve knee pain for a prolonged period, doctors may advise surgery,” said Dr Ayush Pandey, a medical practitioner associated with myUpchar.com.

For ACL reconstruction, the orthopaedic surgeon takes tendons from another part of the knee or from a donor. Making small incisions in the knee, the surgeon repairs the damage. Usually, an outpatient procedure, full recovery for sportspersons can take up to a year.

PCL injuries are less common - though they can happen in contact sports like football.

Knee replacement surgery

There are four types of knee-replacement surgery: total knee replacement, partial knee replacement, kneecap replacement and complex knee replacement. The most common among them is total knee replacement in which a surgeon removes damaged cartilage from the thigh bone and shin, and replaces it with metal implants. The surgery can take up to 3 hours, and the recovery period is usually about six weeks. Typically, this surgery is recommended for patients who have suffered knee damage because of arthritis or an injury.

Partial knee replacement is recommended for patients with strong ligaments and damage to one side of the knee.

In 2013, the Indian Society of Hip and Knee Surgeons said that more women than men have had total knee arthroplasty in India - the average age of patients was 64.4 years. To be sure, the data was based on a voluntary joint surgery registry.

Arthroscopic debridement

The menisci are the shock absorbers of the knee. Normal wear, injury and diseases such as osteoarthritis can cause tears in this cushiony layer. During a knee debridement, the orthopaedic surgeon uses an arthroscope to remove the bits of the meniscus that have come loose. They may even stitch the meniscus, depending on the size of the tear. In rare cases, the surgeon may recommend replacing the torn meniscus with donor meniscus.

This article was created by myUpchar, India’s first and biggest online resource for verified medical information. For in-depth information on all things health, please visit  www.myupchar.com/en _. To read about ACL Reconstruction, please see:_ 

https://www.myupchar.com/en/surgery/anterior-cruciate-ligament-acl-reconstruction  For more information on knee pain, please visit  https://www.myupchar.com/en/disease/knee-pain#knee-pain-treatment