Total Knee Replacement, also called a total knee arthroplasty, is a surgical procedure in which the damaged or worn out surfaces of the knee joint are removed and replaced with an implant. Arthritis, injury, or other diseases can damage the protective layer of cartilage and cause extreme pain and difficulty performing even basic daily activities. Surgery may be recommended if all non-surgical treatment options fail.

 

 

Your doctor may advise a total knee replacement if you have:

       Severe pain that limits your activities of daily living (walking, climbing stairs, getting up from           a chair)

       Moderate to severe pain that occurs during rest or awakens you at night

       Failure to obtain relief from medications, injections, therapy, and other conservative methods

       A bow-legged or knock-kneed deformity

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Your doctor will also look at medical history, physical exam, and X-ray to determine if a knee replacement surgery is right for you.

 

 

Kinematic Alignment for Knee Replacement

Total knee replacements are implanted using either Mechanical Axis (MA) or Kinematic alignment (KA). Historically, most knee replacements were done using the mechanical approach. Using this method, every patient has their knee cut at the same angle which effectively makes every patients knee perfectly straight. We know that not every patient has perfectly straight knees. Many patients are varus (bow-legged), and some are valgus (knock-kneed). The ligaments, soft tissues, and patella are used to functioning in these preexisting angles. We now know that cutting every patients knees perfectly straight can cause some to be left with continued pain and swelling after replacement.

 

After decades of research, we have started to transition over to Kinematically aligned knee replacements. The knee replacement is inserted in the exact position that matches the position of the native knee before the patient developed arthritis. This alignment makes for a more custom and comfortable knee replacement.

 

Dr. Almaguer uses this patient specific approach so each patient gets a truly customizable knee replacement that matches their individual anatomy.

 

Click Here to learn more about the Zimmer Persona Implant.

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Click Here to learn more about the Persona IQ Technology.

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