Knee implant for women launched

Surgeons believe it could help reduce the pain suffered by some women after the operation, and improve mobility.

They say the pain in women is probably due to ill-fitting knee replacements caused because women having narrower femurs, or thigh bones, than men.

The design is based on findings presented at the Computer Methods in Biomechanics and Biomedical Engineering Conference last year.

"For a lot or women, the replacement doesn't quite match the end of the femur"
Nick London

But some surgeons have warned that the changes in the new design might be too subtle to have a significant effect on patients.

In the study, the differences between male and female knees were mapped, and it was found that women's femurs had a different shape.

During knee replacement operations, the femur must be coated by a metal plate, and typically surgeons choose the best-fitting implant from a range of designs and sizes.

It is important that the replacement knees fit as perfectly as possible to maximise comfort and mobility for patients.

'Phenomenal success'

The new knee cap, called Gender Solutions, replaces the thighbone portion of the knee, and is designed specifically to match the shape of women's femurs.

Nick London, a knee surgeon who has been using the new design, said: "Knee replacements have become a phenomenal success, but surgeons have noticed in the last few years that men and women are behaving differently after the operations.

"For a lot or women, the replacement doesn't quite match the end of the femur, and in the last few years that has made a difference to their pain."

He said although he believed the new knee implants would make a significant difference to the success of the implants in women, it would be some years before these effects would be confirmed by studies.

Oliver Schindler, a specialist knee surgeon at the Droitwich Knee Clinic, said there were differences between the knee caps of men and women, and that increasing the variety of implants available was a good thing.

However, he warned that the small design adjustments made to these implants might not be enough to have a significant clinical impact.

RELATED INTERNET LINKS
Gender Solutions implant manufacturer
The Droitwich Knee Clinic
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