Knee replacement is a very common procedure. Despite its proven history, studies show that as many as 1 in 5* patients report they are not completely satisfied with the results of their total knee replacement.
Knees vary in size and shape. Even your own two knees are slightly different. In a traditional knee replacement, however, I select an “off-the-shelf” implant from 8 standard sizes and make the necessary adjustments to best - fit the implant during the procedure. This produces good results.
Because "off-the-shelf" implants aren’t designed to your specific anatomy, I often have to compromise slightly on implant fit, rotation, and alignment. These compromises can cause pain or discomfort after surgery and this may help explain why 1 in 5 patients aren’t satisfied.
Established in 2004, ConforMIS is a privately held medical device company based in Massachusetts. Starting with the basic premise - make the implant fit the patient rather then force the patient to fit the implant. ConforMIS does something that I believe no other knee implant manufacturer has done. They have put the patient at the centre of implant design. By combining advanced 3D imaging technology with the latest manufacturing capabilities, they customize each and every implant to the patient’s unique size and shape.
To understand the benefits of the ConforMIS personalized approach, it’s important to understand the anatomy of your knee. Your knee joint is formed by the intersection of the femur (thigh bone), the tibia (shin bone) and patella (knee cap). These bones form three “compartments” or sections.
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint disease characterized by the breakdown and wearing away of cartilage causing the bones to rub together and result in pain. It can affect all of the knee or just parts, depending on the severity.
A partial knee replacement (PKR) is an option for people who have OA in one or two compartments. A total knee replacement (TKR) is an option for people with OA in all three compartments.
If you are interested to learn more about the ConforMIS Knee Replacement Range, please feel free to contact me for an informal chat and together we can decide on the best course of action.
In the meantime, you may wish to visit the ConforMIS website, where you can watch testimonials from actual patients.
*According to a study of 1,703 patients published by Bourne in 2009 in the peer-reviewed journal Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research (In this study entitled Patient Satisfaction after Total Knee Arthroplasty: Who is Satisfied and Who is Not?, “the overall satisfaction question was used to determine a two category satisfaction outcome by combining patients who answered very dissatisfied, dissatisfied, or neutral into one group, and patients who answered satisfied or very satisfied into the second group.”) Bourne, R.B., et al; Patient Satisfaction after Total Knee Arthroplasty. Who is Satisfied and who is not? Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research: 2010.