Knee replacements have improved tremendously since your Mother's surgery years ago, according to Dr. George Cautilli, an orthopedic surgeon and Medical Director of the Center for Joint Replacement at St. Mary Medical Center in Langhorne. He says new systems, such as the one from Medacta International, have a more natural feel and fit. He says the company takes into account the mechanics of how a knee works when making the replacement.
The system changes the shape of the mechanical joint's parts and how they fit together. This allows the replacement's motion to more closely mimic the natural motion of a person's knee. This is something that was not possible with traditional models. Dr. Cautilli says the more comfortable result gives patients more confidence after surgery and allows them to be more active. They can now use their replaced joints for pivoting on the tennis court or ski slope, two activities that doctors would normally not suggest for patients with knee replacements.
He adds that the Medacta system also has disposable instruments for use during surgery. Normally, surgical equipment is used in an operation and then sterilized for use for another procedure. But, this equipment is used for one patient only.