Minimally-Invasive Surgery (MIS) For Total Knee Replacement

Total Knee Replacement (arthroplasty) is a surgery that is performed for severe degeneration of the knee joint. Hundreds of thousands of people undergo the procedure each year. ⁸

Knees wear out for a variety of reasons. Reasons include inflammation from arthritis, injury or simple wear and tear. A knee replacement is the resurfacing of the worn-out surfaces of the knee. A surgeon replaces lost cartilage with metal and plastic or ceramic. This is typically done through an incision down the center of the knee or around it.

Traditional knee replacement surgery typically involves a procedure leaving patients with a 8-12 inch scar and a hospital stay of up to 3-5 days. However, your doctor may determine that you are a candidate for minimally-invasive knee replacement surgery. This less-invasive surgical technique uses the same implants as traditional knee replacement surgery, but involves a much small incision (on average 4-6 inches) and allows surgeons to avoid disturbing as much muscle and tendon tissue as possible. This technique may provide potential benefits to patients such as:

• Smaller, less noticeable scars
• Shortened hospital stay after surgery
• Reduced recovery time
• Reduced post-operative pain

Only an orthopaedic surgeon can determine if this knee surgery option is right for you. Some of the reasons you may not be able to have MIS are:

• The surgeon is unable to perform the necessary knee replacement through a small incision because they can not attain an adequate view through the small incision; and
• Using a small incision would compromise the end result of the knee replacement surgery.

New ways to open the knee may be more important than the length of the incision. These are sometimes called "quad-sparing" because they protect the quadriceps (the muscle on the front of the thigh) and make the recovery easier.

Several early studies of MIS knee surgery have shown some benefits such as less blood loss, shorter hospital stays, and better motion. Other studies have shown a higher rate of complications, suboptimal positioning of the knee implants, and no real difference in the recovery. You should discuss this decision with your surgeon. Click here to download Wright's patient brochure titled "Treating Osteoarthritis through Knee Replacement with ADVANCE® Knee Systems featuring Medial-Pivot designs".

Causes for surgery
Some forms of arthritis can be hereditary. Most arthritis is due to a lifetime of wear and tear. Nobody knows why some people get severe arthritis, while others don't. Nobody knows why one knee in the same person gets arthritis, while the other does not. Previous injury and obesity are some known causes of arthritis. A good resource to learn more about arthritis, is www.arthritis.org

Next: How Patient Prepares

Knee

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Surgeon advocates of minimally-invasive knee replacement have worked with Wright to develop techniques for tissue sparing instrumentation. Wright has several knee prostheses for your surgeon to choose from with instruments designed to allow surgeons to obtain the best surgical outcomes.

Wright continuously engineers devices to assist your surgeon in completing your knee replacement with the least amount of damage to muscle and tendon tissue. Read more about Minimally-Invasive Knee Surgery with ODYSSEY™ MIS Instrumentation.