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New Options for Joint Replacement Speak to Lifestyle Demands

For those with a passion for sports, certain leisure activities or other pursuits, the idea of joint replacement may conjure thoughts of unwelcome limitations. But with the advent of new options in hip and knee replacement, those limitations take flight, offering an alternative that allows for greater freedom of movement and flexibility.

As an orthopedic surgeon performing these new techniques, E. William Kennen, DO, Excela Health Orthopedics, has pursued specialty training for these new technologies. A 21-year practitioner, Dr. Kennen knows the importance of relieving pain and restoring joint function in the ever-varying population that comes to his office.

“While looking for the best options for treating patients, I learned about the innovative OXINIUM knee, metal-onmetal hip resurfacing, mobile bearing uni-compartmental knees and specific partial joint replacements that provide certain patients with greater mobility, stability and longevity of the joint,” said Dr. Kennen. “Patients younger than age 60 or healthy adults with a high demand lifestyle are generally good candidates for these procedures, and many can be performed through less invasive approaches.”

A New Chapter in Joint Replacement

The metal-on-metal hip replacement, known as the Burmingham hip, is actually a hip resurfacing procedure that preserves more bone structure than a traditional hip replacement. The process shaves the damaged bone surface of the hip joint and replaces it with high-carbide cobalt chrome caps that provide a smooth, natural gliding motion, mimicking the hip’s natural anatomic proportion.

For younger patients with concerns about future revision surgeries, this method preserves the opportunity for a total hip replacement in the future, if needed. For those facing a knee replacement, OXINIUM Oxidized Zirconium implants boast the potential to last longer by providing a smoother joint replacement knee.

“The Journey^® knee uses OXINIUM technology, which combines stability and natural motion of the knee with new, low-friction materials that extend the implant’s life,” noted Dr. Kennen. “To date, this knee has an excellent track record with a potential for 40-year longevity.”

Other options include the Oxford^® Medial Unicompartmental partial knee replacement, patella femoral resurfacing, and ligament-sparing combined patella femoral and medial joint replacements. These types of implants allow for more normal knee motion, which can help people resume their normal gait rhythm on both flat surfaces and stairs. They also allow for increased leg strength, enabling people to resume more normal activities.

“Through the appropriate use of these new implants, people can return to activities such as tennis, downhill skiing or similar sports,” Dr. Kennen said. He added that gardeners with a high demand for hyper-flexibility and religious individuals who kneel to pray are other examples of people who can benefit from these new technologies.

Also available are gender-specific knee replacements. “In light of the anatomical differences between men and women, I have been using these gender-specific prostheses for the last seven years. I strive to use all available technologies, but, as with any new technology, candidates are carefully considered so that they might derive the ultimate benefits of the implant now, and in the future,” explained Dr. Kennen.

Demand Is Rising

With more than 418,000 individuals undergoing total and partial knee replacements last year (15 percent of whom were baby boomers) and more than 325,000 having total and partial hip replacements (some 20 percent in the baby boomer category), the demand for joint replacement surgeries is expected to rise significantly in the coming years. Many of those patients will be looking toward new technologies.