Minimally invasive surgery

Smith & Nephew

Minimally invasive surgery represents a new way to perform knee replacement surgery. It involves surgical techniques that are easier on your tissues and allow the procedure to be performed through a smaller soft tissue “window.” The payoff for patients is less pain and a faster recovery.

Less pain:
Trauma caused by tissue damage causes pain and swelling during part of the normal healing process. Since less invasive surgery requires far less cutting and dissection of normal tissues, the end result is less pain during recovery.

Faster recovery:
With minimally invasive surgery, the time needed in the hospital to gain independence and achieve comfort is shortened considerably.

Traditional vs. minimally invasive knee replacement surgery¹
The following chart shows some general advantages to knee replacement surgery using minimally invasive surgical techniques when compared to traditional knee replacement surgery.

Traditional Knee Replacement Surgery Minimally Invasive Knee Replacement Surgery

Incision Size 8-10 inches 3-4 inches

Hospital Stay 5-7 days 3-4 days

Recovery Time 12 weeks 4-6 weeks

Who is a candidate for minimally invasive knee replacement?

Generally, anyone can benefit from a less invasive surgical technique. In some cases, due to the size or weight of the patient, the incision must be extended, but the trauma to the surrounding tissues will still be reduced when compared to traditional surgery. Your orthopaedic surgeon will try to keep the incision as small as possible, but there are times when the patient is best served by a larger incision.

Minimally invasive knee replacement can have you back on your feet faster than ever before. Stronger, potentially longer-lasting implants like OXINIUM^◊ Oxidized Zirconium implants, increase your ability to achieve greater range of motion in your knee as well as your ability to enjoy more of life’s activities.

Talk to your orthopaedic surgeon to determine if minimally invasive knee replacement and OXINIUM^◊ implants are the right options for you.

^1.Swanson, Todd V., M.D., Hanna, Rammy S., M.D., “Advantages of Cementless THA Using Minimally Invasive Surgical Technique”. Exhibit at 2003 AAOS Meeting, New Orleans, LA.

^2.Chimento, GF, Sculco, TP. “Minimally Invasive Total Hip Replacement”. Operative Techniques in Orthopaedics. 2001;11(4):270-3.

Minimally invasive surgery

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