Partial Knee Replacement

This year, in the US alone, the number of total knee replacements will exceed 600,000. Eighty percent of these are unnecessary. Here is why.

Stem cells are both in and out. It was once thought that if these cells were injected into joints, they would turn into cartilage. Two problems arose. First, patients (unless they are infants) have very few stem cells left. Second, the injected cells died after releasing their instructional growth factors, never turning into cartilage. But what we have learned is that an increasing number of concentrated growth factors, immune stimulants, and even some drugs can induce the migration of the body’s own progenitor cells—some of them stem cells—cells that direct healing—to the injured area. These cells then optimize the environment around the injury to effect healing.

Total knee replacement has been a godsend for many people with severe bone-on-bone arthritis. Many of my patients are skiing, hiking, and playing sports on replaced knees at levels they have not done in years, or even decades.

Every surgeon has a different skill set—and it’s important that their preferences align with yours.

The results of partial knee replacement have become so good that my patients often ask me, “Can I run, can I play sports, can I return to my full range of activities?” Dr. Stone's answer is often “ Yes, but…”. Here is why.

After a total joint replacement, is it possible to get back to sport? Yes! And here's why it's important that you do.

A CT scan of your knee is used to build a computer model, which robotically guides the surgeon to precisely replace the joint, resulting in better alignment and reducing the risk of early wear. However, getting your insurance company to cover this cost is not easy.

Knees do not necessarily wear out evenly, sometimes one part of the knee is perfectly fine while another part is completely destroyed. If only part of the knee joint is worn out, why replace all of it?