Orthopedics Hip & Knee Knee Replacement Surgery Benefits of Minimally Invasive Knee Replacements By Jonathan Cluett, MD Jonathan Cluett, MD LinkedIn Twitter Jonathan Cluett, MD, is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon with subspecialty training in sports medicine and arthroscopic surgery. Learn about our editorial process Updated on May 23, 2022 Medically reviewed Verywell Health articles are reviewed by board-certified physicians and healthcare professionals. These medical reviewers confirm the content is thorough and accurate, reflecting the latest evidence-based research. Content is reviewed before publication and upon substantial updates. Learn more. by Stuart Hershman, MD Medically reviewed by Stuart Hershman, MD LinkedIn Stuart Hershman, MD, is a board-certified spine surgeon. He specializes in spinal deformity and complex spinal reconstruction. Learn about our Medical Expert Board Fact checked Verywell Health content is rigorously reviewed by a team of qualified and experienced fact checkers. Fact checkers review articles for factual accuracy, relevance, and timeliness. We rely on the most current and reputable sources, which are cited in the text and listed at the bottom of each article. Content is fact checked after it has been edited and before publication. Learn more. by Nick Blackmer Fact checked by Nick Blackmer LinkedIn Nick Blackmer is a librarian, fact-checker, and researcher with more than 20 years’ experience in consumer-oriented health and wellness content. Learn about our editorial process Print A standard knee replacement surgery is performed through an incision over the front of the knee that measures about 6 to 10 inches long. A minimally-invasive (also called minimal-incision) knee replacement attempts to perform the same surgery through a smaller incision. In order to be called a minimally invasive surgery, the incision is usually less than 5 inches long, and the dissection stays out of the quadriceps muscle above the knee. Modern surgical techniques are often refined to develop new ways to accomplish the goals of surgery while minimizing the side effects. A knee replacement is performed to replace the worn-out cartilage from the knee joint with a metal and plastic implant. Minimally-invasive knee replacements use the same implants as a standard knee replacement, but these implants are put in through a smaller incision. Yenwen Lu / Getty Images Benefits Advocates of minimally invasive knee replacements will claim they are accomplishing the same surgical procedure with fewer side effects. Anytime a treatment can have fewer side-effects, it is seemingly an improvement. The hope with minimal-incision knee replacement is that patients will experience: Less painFaster recoveryLess need for blood transfusionLess scar tissue formation Is There a Downside? We're not 100% sure quite yet, and that is the concern many orthopedic surgeons have about minimal-incision surgery. It has to be remembered that while the aforementioned benefits of minimal-incision surgery are terrific, the most important goal of a knee replacement surgery is to provide the patient with a pain-free joint that will last a long time. The concern with performing a knee replacement through a smaller incision is that the implants may not be placed as precisely and as snug, and could, therefore, wear out more quickly. A recent study found that patients requiring a second surgery (revision knee replacement) had this procedure much sooner when they had minimal-incision surgery. Patients who required the revision surgery after minimal-incision knee replacement had their revision on average 15 months after their initial procedure. This compares to an average of 80 months after traditional knee replacements. That is a very striking difference. A Word From Verywell Just because we're pointing out one study that demonstrates a problem, it does not mean that minimal-incision knee replacement is a bad surgery. It simply raises a concern. There have been studies pointing out the benefits mentioned above as well. One concern with these studies showing positive results from minimal-incision surgery is that some were authored by surgeons with potential financial conflicts of interest, as well as by surgeons who are performing hundreds of these procedures, rather than just a few. Recent studies are validating the concerns many surgeons had about the performed knee replacement through a "mini" incision. If you are having a minimal-incision knee replacement, be sure your surgeon has performed this procedure many times, and understand that there may be a higher chance of requiring additional surgery at an earlier time down the road. Experienced surgeons will also be ready to make an incision larger if it means doing a better surgery, not compromising the outcome for the goal of keeping the incisions smaller. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Dealing with joint pain can cause major disruptions to your day. Sign up and learn how to better take care of your body. Click below and just hit send! Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit 0 Sources Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Minimally invasive total knee replacement. Jia Q, Chen X, Zhang J, Hu Y. Which is the better choice? A clinical cohort study protocol evaluating the differences between standard medial parapatellar and minimally invasive approaches in total knee replacement. Medicine (Baltimore). 2021;100(1):e24209. doi:10.1097/MD.0000000000024209 Migliorini F, Eschweiler J, Baroncini A, Tingart M, Maffulli N. Better outcomes after minimally invasive surgeries compared to the standard invasive medial parapatellar approach for total knee arthroplasty: a meta-analysis. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc. 2021;29(11):3608-3620. doi:10.1007/s00167-020-06306-9 Picard F, Deakin A, Balasubramanian N, Gregori A. Minimally invasive total knee replacement: techniques and results. Eur J Orthop Surg Traumatol. 2018;28(5):781-791. doi:10.1007/s00590-018-2164-4 Toyoda S, Kaneko T, Mochizuki Y, et al. Minimally invasive surgery total knee arthroplasty is less popular, but the prosthesis designed specifically for MIS provides good survival and PROMs with a minimum follow-up of 10 years. J Orthop Surg Res. 2021;16(1):95. doi:10.1186/s13018-021-02254-3