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Knee replacement surgery is an operation to treat knee pain. The procedure involves removing damaged parts of your knee joint and replacing them with artificial elements, also known as implants or a prosthesis.
Knee replacement surgery helps restore function to your knee and reduce or even eliminate knee pain, significantly improving your quality of life. Usually, knee replacement surgery is recommended when non-invasive treatments, such as steroid injection therapy or physiotherapy, have not helped to reduce your knee pain.
What is robotic-assisted knee surgery?
Robotic-assisted knee replacement surgery is when your surgeon uses robotic technology to help them perform knee surgery, allowing them to be more precise and accurate. This can offer a range of benefits, including less pain and a faster recovery.
If you're suffering with knee pain, you've landed in the right place. Knee replacement surgery can significantly reduce your knee pain and improve your quality of life. Whether you have traditional or robotic knee replacement surgery, your new knee could last up to 25 years - or even more in some cases.
This page focuses specifically on robotic-assisted knee replacement surgery using VELYS™. You'll also find lots of relevant information on our specific page about total knee replacement surgery.
The cost of knee replacement surgery starts from around £16,415.*
However, the exact price you pay will depend on various factors, including which hospital you choose and the details of your surgery. Robotic-assisted surgery is usually more expensive than traditional surgery.
For a tailored quote, including robotics, call our advisors or use our live chat function.
Our fixed-price packages include the cost of your surgery and all appropriate aftercare appointments. However, any pre-surgery diagnostic tests and your consultant's outpatient appointment consultation fee are charged separately.
If you would like to spread the cost of your surgery to make it more affordable, we offer monthly payment options over one to five years with no deposit required. You can choose the length of time to suit you. If you decide to pay over 10 months, you will pay interest-free. If you are paying for a longer period, you will pay 14.9% APR.
If you have private health insurance, speak to your insurer directly to find out if robotic surgery is covered by your provider.
*This is a guide price for patients who are paying for their own treatment. The actual cost of your treatment will be confirmed in writing at the time of booking.
There are various injuries and conditions that can cause chronic knee pain, which might mean you need knee replacement surgery. These include:
Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis is when the smooth cartilage that protects your joint surface deteriorates over time. As well as pain, it can also cause swelling and tenderness in your knee joint.
It is important to remember that arthritis symptoms affect everyone differently. Some people suffer severe pain as a result of osteoarthritis and struggle to perform everyday activities, making life challenging. Other people find that their symptoms are less severe and do not occur as regularly.
Rheumatoid arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) affects more than 400,000 people in the UK. It is an inflammatory joint condition caused by an autoimmune process that makes your body mistakenly attack its healthy cells.
This often causes chronic joint pain and deterioration. Joints affected by RA are usually surrounded by inflamed tissue.
Post-traumatic knee arthritis (kneecap traumatic arthritis)
A broken kneecap (which is also known as a patellar fracture) happens when the small bone at the front of your knee breaks. It is usually caused by a traumatic knee injury during sport and can lead to kneecap arthritis.
Septic arthritis
This is a much less common form of arthritis. It's a severe joint infection that can be caused by a traumatic injury to your joint, including a bite or wound. It can also happen as the result of an infection following surgery. Septic arthritis requires immediate medical attention. The damage caused by septic arthritis can lead to the need for knee replacement surgery.
Not everyone with knee pain needs a knee replacement operation, but there are some common symptoms that indicate you might need a knee joint replacement, including:
- Persistent knee pain that limits your movement
- A change in the appearance of your knee
- Knee pain when bending down
- Knee pain while exercising
- Knee pain during sex
- Severe knee stiffness
- Knee pain when walking
- Knee pain at night
- An inability to support your body weight on one leg
- Limited relief from other forms of treatment you've tried
The VELYS™ surgical system is an innovative robotic tool that allows your consultant to perform knee replacement surgery with greater accuracy and precision than is possible with traditional techniques.
The idea of ‘robot surgery’ may sound daunting, but a robotic total knee replacement is still carried out by orthopaedic surgeons. The technology is there to aid doctors – not replace them – and is still guided by their hands.
VELYS™ includes a robotic-assisted surgical tool, a high speed camera, optical trackers, and screens to display the data captured. Your surgeon remains in control for the whole procedure, using the VELYS™ system to help them assess your anatomy and place your implant with the greatest accuracy possible.
There are various benefits to robotic-arm assisted knee replacement surgery with VELYS™ (or any of our other surgical robots). These can include:
More accurate implant alignment
The VELYS™ system uses state-of-the-art technology to support your surgeon during the knee replacement operation, aiding the placement of your implant so that it's as accurately aligned as possible.
Less pain
The VELYS™ technology can also enhance your surgeon's ability to accurately remove the damaged portions of your knee joint, which has the potential to reduce postoperative pain.
Faster recovery
Studies have shown that robotic knee replacements offer reduced hospital stay and fewer hospital readmissions than traditional surgery.
Better results
Studies have shown that in some instances the use of robotic-assisted technology results in a greater range of motion in your knee after surgery, meaning you can bend and flex it more easily.
Every individual's knee replacement recovery time looks slightly different. It will be affected by factors including:
- How active you were before having knee replacement surgery
- Your usual everyday activities
- The nature of your job (i.e. whether you have an active job or a desk job)
- Your age
A robotic knee replacement recovery timeline will look slightly different to a traditional knee replacement recovery timeline. Your orthopaedic surgeon will understand your personal circumstances and health better and be able to advise what your personal knee surgery recovery timeline looks like.
You can find more details on our knee replacement surgery page.
Complications can occur during any surgery. Potential complication during any surgical procedure include:
- Pain
- Infection in the surgical wound
- Excessive bleeding
- Scarring
- Blood clotting
- Chest infection
- Heart attack
- Stroke
Specific complications that can occur during a knee replacement surgery (traditional and robotic-assisted surgery) include:
- Pain
- Swelling
- Stiffness
- Fracture
- Damage to your nerves
- Damage to blood vessels
- Infection in your knee
VELYS™ robotic-assisted knee surgery is currently available at:
- Circle Reading Hospital – Reading
- Hampshire Clinic – Basingstoke
- Huddersfield Private Hospital – Huddersfield
- Ross Hall Hospital – Glasgow
- The Alexandra Hospital – Cheadle
- The Chiltern Hospital – Great Missenden
- The Park Hospital - Nottingham
What is a robotic knee replacement?
Robotic knee replacement surgery is a knee replacement operation performed with the use of a robotic surgical system. This system helps your consultant perform the surgery more precisely and accurately than is possible with traditional methods.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of robotic knee replacement surgery?
There are many advantages of having robotic knee replacement surgery, including:
- A shorter recovery time
- A more tailored treatment plan than is possible with traditional surgery
- Potential for better results
There are no disadvantages to having the surgery as such, but it does take slightly longer to perform than a conventional joint replacement, so the risk of infection is slightly increased.
Is robotic knee replacement surgery better than traditional surgery?
Traditional knee replacement surgery is a highly effective form of treatment for people with knee pain, but robotic-assisted surgery can offer certain benefits and enhancements, including a faster recovery due to a tailored approach that helps your consultant perform the procedure with increased accuracy and precision.
At Circle Health Group, some of our consultant orthopaedic surgeons choose to use robotic technology, while others choose not to. The most important thing when you are having a knee replacement is not whether or not you have robotic knee surgery, it's whether you have a good surgeon.
When you choose to go private with Circle Health Group, you can expect:
- Flexible appointment times and locations to fit your routine
- The freedom to choose which hospital and consultant suit your needs
- Personalised, consultant-led treatment plans tailored to your individual needs
- Comfortable and safe private facilities maintained by expert multidisciplinary teams
- Support by the same compassionate clinical team from beginning to end
- Affordable, fixed-price packages with aftercare included
- Flexible payment options to spread the cost of your care
If you would like to learn more about robotic knee surgery, book your appointment online today or call a member of our team directly.
- VELYS™ robotic assisted solution, Johnson & Johnson
- Get to know VELYS™ robotics, DePuy Synthes
- Robotic orthopaedic surgery, Mayo Clinic
- Resource utilization and costs for robotic-assisted and manual total knee arthroplasty - a premier healthcare database study, National Library of Medicine
- Clinical and Radiological Outcomes in Robotic-Assisted Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis, Science Direct
- Clatworthy M. Patient-Specific TKA with the VELYS™ Robotic-Assisted Solution. Surg Technol Int. 2022;40, National Library of Medicine
- Transition to Robotic Total Knee Arthroplasty With Kinematic Alignment is Associated With a Short Learning Curve and Similar Acute-Period Functional Recoveries, Cureus.com
