I emailed Dr. McBride a barrage of questions this week. It was a mix of technical questions and inquiries of outcome. Among them, I wanted to know what kind of hardware is going under the hood (or in the knee, that is).
The lateral compartment hardware is made by DJO, a company I am familiar with from their Donjoy line of knee braces. I had a DonJoy unloader brace years ago that gave me minor relief. Their EPIK knee system is a unicompartmental prosthesis focused on preserving as much bone as possible. This is critical for the future when I'll need a revision to a total knee replacement.
The lateral compartment hardware is made by DJO, a company I am familiar with from their Donjoy line of knee braces. I had a DonJoy unloader brace years ago that gave me minor relief. Their EPIK knee system is a unicompartmental prosthesis focused on preserving as much bone as possible. This is critical for the future when I'll need a revision to a total knee replacement.
As for the patellofemoral resurfacing, there's a product called Arthrosurface that makes an inlay patellofemoral resurfacing prosthesis. English please? Essentially it's an implant that replaces the gliding surface that the patella rides in. I'll talk about difference between inlay and onlay implants later, but basically the Arthrosurface product sits flush with the surrounding bone, and preserves as much native bone as possible. And yes, it looks like a medieval torture device to me too.
Of course after hearing this, I went straight to the internet. Other than the typical company testimonials, there's not much scientific literature on either product. That makes me a little apprehensive, but the proof is in the pudding.
Now I'm not promoting or dissuading neither of these products. The fact is that my knowledge of bio-mechanical engineering and orthopedic surgery ends beyond this blog. What I do know is that I trust my surgeon. His track record of excellent outcomes with this hardware suggests that these products are effective. And until they're getting 5 star reviews on Amazon, you're stuck with me and my post-op ramblings!
The best implants are the ones your surgeon is most comfortable working with. If' you've done your homework, and researched the right doc, then you should be comfortable with the number of successful procedures he's performed with the right hardware.Now I'm not promoting or dissuading neither of these products. The fact is that my knowledge of bio-mechanical engineering and orthopedic surgery ends beyond this blog. What I do know is that I trust my surgeon. His track record of excellent outcomes with this hardware suggests that these products are effective. And until they're getting 5 star reviews on Amazon, you're stuck with me and my post-op ramblings!