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Claire D'Vileskis knew her arthritic knee was getting worse when
she couldn't walk around the zoo with her family. When she began
to have trouble climbing stairs and kicking off her blankets in
the morning, she went to see orthopaedic surgeon William Flynn,
M.D. to discuss a knee replacement.
Her timing couldn't have been better.
D'Vileskis is 55. Doctors prefer to perform total knee replacement
when a patient is in his or her 60s or older in order to avoid
additional surgery.
But Dr. Flynn, who
practices at The Orthopaedic Center at Waterbury Hospital, was
just beginning to work with a strong new knee replacement material
that he expects will last D'Vileskis for the rest of her life.
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The
material is oxidized zirconium, and Dr. Flynn noted that it is
harder and much smoother than the old alloys that it replaces.
"Zirconium does not cause friction and with less friction there is
less wear, so the joint lasts longer," the surgeon explained.
How much longer? That depends on the patient. Oxidized Zirconium
is made from a metallic alloy with a ceramic surface, and Dr.
Flynn predicts it will last two to three times longer than the 10
to 20 years artificial joints currently last. It will withstand
light sports and routine daily activities like climbing stairs and
mowing the lawn, although a patient who runs marathons can expect
it to deteriorate faster.
D'Vileski says she's just happy to walk
around without pain again. Two months after her operation her scar
still hurt, she said, but she wasn't feeling the old "crunchy,
grinding" pain in her knee, and the related aches in her ankle,
back and hips.
"There are plenty of people out there in
their early 40s who have bad knees," said Dr. Flynn. "In the past,
we've had to say you're just too young. Now they can have knee
replacement when it will do them the most good."
To
reach Dr. Flynn about Oxidized Zirconium knee replacement,
contact us. You
can send Dr. Flynn a message and we will forward it to him. |
