Knee replacement surgery -- is it as grueling as you think?

Knee replacements last -- and last and last. We now know this thanks to a study presented Wednesday at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons annual meeting. But that doesn't mean the prospect of such an operation isn't scary.

More than half a million Americans have knee replacement surgery each year. And it's the pain, either from arthritis, an injury or other cause, that spurs many to seek out surgery. This knee replacement tutorial from MedlinePlus can help dial back the fear factor. It illustrates in basic terms how surgeons cut the femur and tibia to remove a damaged joint and replace it with an artificial one. Looks easy enough