In The News
Partial Knee Resurfacing, Changing the Face of Orthopedic Medicine...
and Damaged Joints
Orthopedic Surgeons from Richmond Bone & Joint Offer Alternatives to Total Joint Replacement
Michael Kent, M.D. and Thomas B. Rivers, M.D.
As school athletic programs become increasingly more rigorous, professional athletes test the limits of their high-performance bodies and retirees live longer, more active lives, orthopedic medicine is challenged to provide less invasive treatment that can quickly return patients back to their lives with strong long-term results.
Rising to meet this challenge, Drs. Tom Rivers and Michael Kent, orthopedic and sports medicine physicians at the Richmond Bone & Joint Clinic have honed less invasive arthroscopy procedures for many knee injuries and conditions affecting the young and mature alike.
And while total joint replacement was once the only option for chronic knee pain associated with severe joint deterioration, the physicians are offering patients an alternative to total joint replacement, or knee arthroplasty – performing a cutting edge Partial Knee Resurfacing (PKR) procedure that is yielding excellent results.
"We are very excited about the benefits of this procedure we're now able to offer our patients. By addressing only the damaged areas of the knee, we're able to use much smaller implants and incisions, therefore preserving natural knee function and returning patients to activity much faster," said Dr. Rivers.
"The rapid mobility it affords improves chances of a faster recovery with better results," he added.
In performing the PKR procedure, a small implant designed for natural knee movement is used. Depending on the area of deterioration in the joint, either a "Uni Knee" implant, also referred to as Unicompartmental, or a "Patellofemoral" implant is selected. The Uni knee implant is used if damage exists on one condyle of the knee. A Patellofemoral implant is used if surfaces of the patella and patella contact region on the femur are affected.
Altering only the damaged areas of the knee, the less invasive PKR procedure is able to preserve normal joint function and ligaments, while avoiding disruption of surrounding soft tissue and trauma to healthy bone. Studies are showing that PKR patients achieve greater function and better performance in activities.
According to the doctors, new technologies in orthopedic medicine are today designed to improve the performance and longevity of joint implants. These advances now offer young and mature patients alike an alternative to total joint replacement, which was once the only option for such conditions and generally reserved for those over the age of 60.
