In this procedure, your doctor removes some or all of the parts of the original prosthesis and replaces them with new ones.

Although both procedures have the same goal—to relieve pain and improve function—revision surgery is different than primary total knee replacement. People may refer to a revision joint replacement as a repeat joint replacement, or a replacement of a joint replacement. There is no limit to the number of revision replacements that can be performed, although they generally become more difficult each time.