www.sportsknee.

com
Dr. Michael Reilly, MD
Recent Advances in To-
Total Knee tal Knee Replacement
In the past, Orthopedic Surgeons
had to tell their total knee patients that eventually, the plastic
Replacement: New have made this hugely insert in their knee would wear-out and would have to be re-
Technology is Here! successful surgery even vised or replaced. Stryker’s new advanced polymer bearing
better. Total Knee Re- technology, called
placement Surgery has X3™, has demon-
been proven over the strated up to a 79%
past four decades to relieve severe knee pain and restore knee decrease in wear in
function in the vast majority of patients. In fact, the National laboratory testing
Institutes of Health recently concluded that knee replacement compared to standard
is “a safe and cost-effective treatment for alleviating pain and poly bearing surfaces.
restoring function in patients who do not respond to non- This decrease in wear
surgical therapies.” will extend the life of
With the recent introduction of Stryker’s new Triathlon™ To- your implant. This
tal Knee System and new X3™ Polyethylene Bearing Technol- new technology is par-
ogy, patients can expect more natural knee movement and ticularly important for
increased implant longevity. younger patients
“I believe that I owe it to my patients to be aware of new
technological advances in implant design. The Triathlon Now, advanced com-
Knee was the first knee implant system to simultaneously Computers & Total puter assisted surgical
address the issues of fit and motion. The sizing options allow monitoring with the
me to choose the best fitting implant for each individual pa- Knee Replacement Stryker Knee Naviga-
tient, both male and female. tion system promises to
The unique design of this knee enables me to maximize my further enhance the
patient’s range of motion and enhance the knee’s stability longevity of knee replacements. As with any moving part,
throughout the range of motion. Since moving to the Tri- alignment is key to achieving smooth movement and reducing
athlon Knee, I’ve seen a pretty dramatic increase in my pa- long-term wear, just as wheel alignment affects the life of
tient’s ability to flex their knees. This enables my total knee automobile tires. This is especially true in total knee replace-
patients to participate in activities that were previously very ment.
difficult for them to do”. Michael Reilly, MD Computer Guided Knee Replacement Surgery eliminates the
need for the invasive positioning
equipment necessary to introduce
the metal implants. This allows
the surgeon to perform knee re-
placement through smaller inci-
sions with precision and consis-
tency. Patients experience re-
duced blood loss, shorter healing
time and a quicker recovery.
 Place
Stamp
Here

Visit Dr. Reilly on the web at : www.sportsknee.com

Over 270,000 In the operating room,

total knee re- infrared optics and track-
placements ing software continually
were per- monitor the position and
formed in the mechanical alignment of
U.S. last year. the knee replacement
Results indi- components. Wireless
cate that 92% instruments send data
of those pa- pertaining to the move-
tients had a ments and kinematics of
good to excel- the knee to the computer.
lent outcome. The computer analyzes
Upon looking and displays kinematic data on the screen in the form of
critically at charts and graphs. These images provide the surgeon
the 8% whose outcomes were below expectations, you with the information needed to align the implant per-
will find a common trend. fectly tailored to the patient’s anatomy.

If one eliminates the complication of infection from that “Computer assisted knee replacement technology,
8%, mal-alignment of the knee components and soft combined with new advances in the implants them-
tissue balancing are the main causes of poor outcomes. selves, gives me the edge in providing my patients with
The standard methods of positioning and implanting consistently the best outcomes”. Michael Reilly, MD
the knee components rely heavily on the surgeon’s vis-
ual perspective. This is often referred to as the surgeons
ability to “eyeball” the critical bone cuts and balancing
of soft tissues necessary to perform the surgery.

By utilizing computer navigation technologies, the sur-

geon can significantly improve the accuracy and thus,
the outcomes of knee joint replacement surgery.