If you have serious symptoms, you can choose to have an appointment with a rheumatologist. This may lead to faster diagnosis and treatment. Cartilage is a firm but pliable connective tissue in the joint. It protects and exerts pressure on the joints by absorbing the pressure and vibration generated during the movement. This reduction in the normal amount of cartilage tissue can cause some forms of arthritis. In case of the entire knee replacement surgery, the full knee joint is replaced with the prosthetic joint, but the partial knee replacement surgical treatment is only worried about replacing the damaged cartilage inside the knee affected of arthritis in lieu of removing and replacing every one of the cartilages. Several factors exist that make the inmates prefer partial knee replacement over total knee replacement surgery. The basic difference, however, is within relation to its incision and recovery. In case of the entire knee replacement, the incision that is made is pretty big, whereas in case of the partial one, the incision is small and the time taken for recovery is additionally less when compared to the former. The best way to prevent this from happening is to re-think your views about it