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which prosthesis is best?

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meamgray

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I'm a tennis player and need a knee replacement. Can anybody out there recommend a knee that would withstand the pounding of playing tennis? I'm thinking a rotating platform as opposed to a fixed platform. Anybody have any experience with a rotating platform?
 
Hey there, meamgray. Welcome to the forum.

Rotating platform is good - but then so are all the other knees. There is a sticky at the top of this forum called "How to choose a surgeon and a prosthesis". Do read it - will save me having to type it all out here again!!
 
Consider looking at the latest most normal knee from a british based company that manufactures in Memphis, Smith& Nephew. Their latest knee is the Journey BCS and is supposed to feel most like a normal knee. You also could consider the new Journey Duece if you only have medial and pateller disease. Look for a surgeon locator on the company site.
 
Hi, i got 2 new Journey knees. They are supposed to be younger and most realistic in returning function They have a web site smith & nephew (sorry bone smart sponsors).
 
Let me start by saying that I'm a Registered Nurse with years of ortho experience, my nephew is an orthopedic surgeon, and I'll be the owner of a brand new bionic knee on Monday (4/7).
That said, here goes:
There really aren't any studies, let alone clear cut studies, stating one prosthesis over another -- the comparative research just has not been done.
The prospects of the Smith & Nephew Journey Knee look good in theory, but the surface is somewhat brittle and has not withstood the test of time. I don't want to be the guinea pig.
I've had several friends (ski racers, tennis players) with the DePuy Rotating platform and several have stated it feels "catchey" or loose at times. They've had problems. They originally chose it because of sports -- skiing for the sole reason that it allows for knee angulation. Well, actually, angulation in skiing comes from the hip (rotation of the femur), and knee angulation really isn't the goal in present day technique.
Others with success have received the Stryker Triathlon knee. If your surgeon is aware of some of the issues with the "cutting jig" used to shape the surface of the knee and can work around these issues, then it might be a good choice.
My orthopedic surgeon and my nephew and I have chosen the Zimmer Gender Specific, High-Flex knee for me. It is bone sparing (cuts away less bone) and for someone young who will need several re-dos over a lifetime, this one seems right.
Hope this helps.
 
Skichick, what part do you mean when you say surface on the journey knee? And brittle?
 
OXINIUM* Oxidized Zirconium for longer wear and other benefits
The JOURNEY Knee is made of OXINIUM Oxidized Zirconium, only available from Smith & Nephew. This revolutionary material may reduce wear, potentially resulting in a longer lasting knee replacement.
OXINIUM Oxidized Zirconium is superior to traditional materials, such as cobalt chrome, because of its hardness, smoothness and resistance to scratching and abrasion.

(The superior hardness has worked out well in hips but has not been proven in highly mobile knees.)
I had about 5 OS steer me away from the product because I too saw the influential TV ad and got excited...
Being a larger (5'7" and 175 -- muscular -- active in potentially higher impact activity (ski racing - 60-75 mph), the hard surface does decrease joint debris but at the cost of being brittle. Something we were not willing to risk.
 
If you are not an athletic person though surely it will be OK? I don't have it, I have a Zimmer Gender.
 
Haven't had the pleasure of noticing it yet as I am still very swollen for some reason. I am only at 87-90 ROM and may need a manipulation. Nothing to do with the prosthesis, just my stiff old ligaments and quads. I think Patti has Zimmer? She is doing well.
 
I have a Zimmer Hemi-knee. My OS chose it because of the bone-sparing aspect since I will probably need a revision some day... and because it requires less pounding to insert and he was concerned about the possibility of fracturing the attaching bone since I have had previous bone grafting. It is working great for me! I was his first patient for this knee and both of us are very pleased with it so far.
 
I have a Zimmer knee too, but not the smaller "gender specific" one. My bones were too large for it and the regular one (I think it's a high flex) fit better, according to my surgeon. At 5 weeks, so far, so good. Something in there makes some slight noise when I bend, but I can't tell if it's the knee or ligaments. It sounds more like ligaments popping slightly. But the knee joint itself has felt wonderfully stable from day one.
 
Patti, if I recall from my conversations with her, has the Journey like me. And she is a quite tall and as we can all tell, active in nature. I am not tiny either and my doctor still suggested Journey for me in 2 knees. And I am pretty young, so that was another part of his reasoning in choosing that one, I would be more active than an 75 year old. With out looking it up again on the web site because I would loose my posting, I believe this knee to have been out for at least 10 years. Long enough to show a fair evaluation of how it holds up to the estimated minimum life given repalcement joints of 10-15 years.
 
Patti, if I recall from my conversations with her, has the Journey like me. And she is a quite tall and as we can all tell, active in nature. I am not tiny either and my doctor still suggested Journey for me in 2 knees. And I am pretty young, so that was another part of his reasoning in choosing that one, I would be more active than an 75 year old. With out looking it up again on the web site because I would loose my posting, I believe this knee to have been out for at least 10 years. Long enough to show a fair evaluation of how it is likely to hold up to the estimated minimum life span given any repalcement joint, 10-15 years.
 
I am 10 weeks post op with a Zimmer Gender Specific - my OS says it's their brand new one and should last 25 years vs. 10 - 15 years... I'm just 50, so I'm counting on this knee lasting till I'm 75! The plastic is supposed to wear better. Guinnea pig? Maybe, but so far I've had better results than I could have hoped for. I'm bending to 132 degrees (and still progressing) and riding my horse again with no pain. (Of course I have the usual post op issues with occasional swelling, that deep bone ache, etc. but that's just part of the deal, right?) Ask me again in 20 years, but as of today I'd do it again with this knee in a heart beat.

-Aunt B
 
I have Otis knees, not sure if anyone else has them or not. Again I am 54, and my surgeron thought this was the way to go for me. So far so good. I honestly can't tell I have different knees in there, just no knee pain. Of course like everyone esle I have all the other aches and pains associated with the surgery, but my knees themselves seem very good.
I just trusted my surgeon and did not do a lot of research as I know nothing about these things, I decided if I was going to let him do this, I should value his opinion. I am active at my job, on my feet etc. and plan to dance a bit, but I am not a sports person and hopefully they will have a long life.
Anyone else have Otis knees? If so, are you happy with them? Did those of you with other knees have to have an MRI to have them made for you? Just curious, I guess at this point for me it doesn't really matter now does it, not like after a big survey I am going back to switch them or anything.
 
Isn't it funny how we all are comparing brands like if we don't like ours we're going to dig out the reciept an go get the ones "MARY" has? Too funny. i think it is like Jo said at some point on this forum, They all basically do a pretty good job at the same thing and more importantly is trusting the surgeon and his preference. Still fun comparing notes though.
 
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