Unity Hospital performing new partial knee replacement surgery

“It was basically like a grinding pain when I walk. I climb ladders for a living and it was just getting to the point where I really couldn't do my job anymore,” says 59 year old Gary Pursel who recently underwent a partial knee replacement surgery.

Gary chose a partial knee replacement because the outer portion of his knee was still in good shape.  He chose a procedure at Unity Hospital called the “Oxford Partial Knee Replacement.” The procedure was created in the United Kingdom and has been used for decades in Europe. It was recently approved for us in the U.S. in 2004 by the Food and Drug Administration.

“Three weeks after it after all the swelling, and I got a lot of therapy in, it was perfect. I was getting around without a cane or crutches or anything and within six weeks I was back, riding a bicycle,” says Gary.  
 

“It just replaces the inside arthritic part of the knee, provided the rest of the knee is fairly intact,” says Dr. Mark Stenclik, an orthopaedic surgeon at Unity who has performed nearly 100 “Oxford” partial replacements.

Unlike traditional knee replacement surgery where the entire joint is replaced, the “Oxford” procedure simply removes damaged tissue and then places an artificial bearing inside the joint.

“They can have a much smaller incision, they can have a much quicker recovery, they can have a better range of motion and a more normal knee,” says Dr. Stenclik.  

Typically, total knee replacement is not recommended for people younger than 60 except in severe arthritic cases because the implants wear out. The oxford replacement may offer younger patients a new option. The procedure is ideal for someone who live with knee arthritis and who've tried non-surgical treatments like weight loss, exercise, Cortizone injections and pain management.

“By having this mobile bearing, we're hoping we can get long term results so that we can be putting this in people who are 50, 60 years old and it'll last them until they're 80 years old,” says Dr. Stenclik.