A study of human knee joints shows that alignment of bones during surgery is essential to avoid future arthritis.

It is becoming increasingly apparent that damage to cartilage, repaired by surgery, is often a risk factor for arthritis of the knee in later life. Doctors at Duke University have carried out a study using cadaveric human knee joints that shows how pressures develop within the joint during surgery.

They say that if the bones above and below the joint are not carefully aligned, unacceptable pressures develop which will lead to arthritis. It's essential, therefore, to monitor bone alignment during and after surgery. Slight misalignments should be corrected by a further operation - thus reducing the risk of painful and disabling arthritis later on.

Source

American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine Meeting 3rd July 2002