While all joint replacement surgeries involve prosthetic materials, there are steps that can be taken to have a truly custom-fitted replacement joint prosthetic. It is specially fitted based on the patient’s height, the amount of activity they participate in daily, and their gender.
Prosthetic knee replacements were first introduced decades ago. The choice of implant was based on the level of deformity in the patient’s knee. There are also anatomical differences between men’s and women’s knees, so each implant takes those factors into consideration.
What Do I Look for in a Knee Replacement?
Speak with your surgeon and talk about the advantages and disadvantages of the various types of knee implants that may be right for you. Some new styles of knee implants offer truly innovative benefits, and some of them are being aggressively advertised and marketed directly to the patients; so if you are wondering whether you may be a good candidate for a certain type of artificial knee joint, ask your surgeon for their opinion.
Each patient’s knees are unique, even as compared to each other, so the implant you receive will be very different from others and closer to your own natural knee shape.
Customized Knee Replacement Variables
There are multiple variables that go into deciding which type of implant is right for you, including your:
- Age
- Gender
- Occupation
- Bone dimensions
- Weight
- Quality of the femur and tibia bones
- Quality of the ligaments
- Anticipated level of physical activity
Someone who sits at a desk for their job does not require the same implant as someone who is a professional athlete.
Let’s delve more deeply into some of those factors that an orthopedic surgeon will consider in how to perform a custom knee replacement for a patient:
Age
If a patient is older and their bones are osteoporotic, they will not be able to receive the same type of prosthetic as someone whose bones are stronger. For an older patient, a suitable choice might be a cemented model that is supplemented by additional design features that offer greater support to the collateral ligaments. By comparison, the marathon runner would likely be given an uncemented model that allows as much preservation of surrounding bone as possible.
Time and Cost
A customized knee prosthesis is costlier than a pre-fabricated model, and the modeling process will add a number of weeks to manufacture the customized knee. It requires computerized tomography (CT scan) or an MRI to determine the precise measurements of the person’s knee, and then manufacture it to those specifications.
Knee Surgeons in Palm Beach
If you or a loved one is having trouble with a knee or chronic knee pain, even if it’s due to arthritis, it might be time to consider getting a customized prosthetic knee. We will discuss with you whether it makes sense in your case to have a prosthetic that is created to match with your own natural knee joint.
Call us today at Personalized Orthopedics of the Palm Beaches, or request an appointment online, and get back to your more active lifestyle once again!
This article is for general education and is not medical advice. For advice about your condition, talk with your physician. Request an appointment with our team.
