Troubleshooting expensive potentiometer
You can connect another 10K pot in parallel if you want to test it. Leave the existing one set around the middle and see if the functionality comes back. Take care nothing shorts or you may create much worse problems. 

Your main concern when you get the replacement pot is to avoid damaging the board (especially the plated through holes). If you don't have really good rework tools (eg.) 



one good approach is to cut the existing pot apart and remove one lead at a time, cleaning the holes up with good solder wick. 

That method precludes the desolder and test method you are thinking of following. 



Of course even if the board is so mutilated, it's generally possible to hack a replacement on there with fly wires, epoxy and such like, but better avoided.