According to the National Center for Health Statistics, women comprise nearly two-thirds of the 400,000 knee replacement surgeries performed annually. Even more surprising is that in spite of suffering a higher incidence of knee pain, women are also three times less likely than men to undergo joint replacement surgery.
Although the current implant technology has functioned well for both men and women-providing both pain relief and significantly improved function-these implants are less likely to fit, feel, and function naturally for women patients. Women have wider hips than men (changing the angle at which the femur connects to the knee), and women's knees have less cartilage.
Since the implants are not precisely suited for the female anatomy, the procedures are more difficult-for both the surgeon and patient. "I think that the lack of a gender-specific knee implant has contributed to the lower utilization rate in women," says Dr. Aaron Rosenberg, Director of The Section of Adult Reconstruction at Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush.
"Women's knees are different from men's in that they're narrower side to side for a given front to back dimension. More importantly, women's joints are shaped differently in all sizes and exhibit more flexibility. We simply have not had an implant that meets these unique requirements."
That has changed with the launch a new gender specific implant designed to better match the structure of a woman's knee joint. Additionally, this implant can be placed using minimally invasive surgical techniques, which typically produce smaller scars, shorter hospital stays, and quicker recovery.
"Less invasive procedures are helping patients get back to enjoying their lives faster than ever before," adds Dr. Rosenberg. "Now that we have a knee shaped to fit a women's anatomy, we expect that far more women will consider knee replacement."
The implant was developed through the extensive research efforts of the Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush Joint Reconstruction team. In addition to Dr. Rosenberg, MOR surgeons Richard Berger, MD, and Wayne Paprosky, MD, worked closely with biomechanical engineers throughout the two-year research and development process.
The new implant, which has received clearance from the FDA, will be utilized by MOR Joint Reconstruction Physicians as soon as next week. "The new implant is evidence of our dedication to research over the past 25 years and to improving our patient's quality of life through decreased pain with better implants," says Dr. Rosenberg.
Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush is a thirty physician, highly subspecialized orthopaedic group practice. The physicians of MOR are board certified and fellowship trained in their subspecialty, hold academic appointments at Rush Medical College, are on staff at Rush University Medical Center, and are active in research. The physicians also provide services at Central DuPage and Oak Park Hospitals
