Osteotomy- Opening or Closing Wedge Proximal Tibia

Osteotomy or “bone cutting” removes or adds a section of bone near a damaged joint.  This shifts the weight away from the damaged cartilage to an area with healthier cartilage, temporarily relieving the pain.  This procedure is typically performed on the knee for younger patients who wish to postpone joint replacement surgery or whose arthritis only affects one side of the knee.

During a tibial osteotomy, a wedge of bone is either added or removed to the tibia to realign the knee joint, relieving pain and restoring the balance of the knee.  An opening wedge osteotomy involves an incision in the medial side of the knee to place a bone graft, usually taken from the pelvic bone, into the tibia.  The graft is held in place with a metal plate or pins.  A closing wedge osteotomy involves an incision on the lateral side of the knee and removes a small wedge of the tibia bone before reattaching the two remaining ends with a metal plate or pins.