Michael P. Nett, MD

The Latest Technology in Knee Replacement Surgery for Women:

The number of patients requiring knee replacement surgery continues to rise at an exponential rate. While outcomes following traditional knee replacement are excellent, room for improvement remains.  Some issues that remain for a percentage of patients following knee replacement include persistent pain, poor function, limited motion, and wear of the knee replacement over time.  These problems, if present, limit patient recovery and can occasionally require additional surgery.  Surgeons and engineers continue to research and design improved knee implants to optimize patient outcome following replacement surgery.  The newest technologies in knee replacements include gender specific designs for women, more anatomically correct designs, and design modifications for better motion.

Gender Equality in Knee Replacement Surgery:

According to the National Center for Health Statistics, nearly two-thirds of the more than 600,000 annual knee replacement patients are women.  Despite the fact that the majority of patients needing knee replacement surgery are female, traditional knee replacements were designed based upon an average between the size of male and female knees.  While these traditional knees may accommodate a large percentage of the population, occasionally surgeons are forced to make a compromise when choosing the appropriate size for a woman’s knee replacement. This compromise may lead to “over-sizing” or “stuffing” of a female knee, resulting in continuous pain and poor function.

            As joint replacement surgeons gained more experience with female knee replacement surgery, they began to recognize consistent anatomical gender differences.  We realized that compromises could adversely affect the outcome of our female patients.  It became clear to the orthopedic community that a knee replacement specifically designed to fit a woman’s body was necessary. New gender specific prostheses are now available and are more in proportion with the female knee.  These implants require fewer compromises for the female patient and will likely improve outcomes.





Dr. Nett uses Zimmer Gender Specific Knee replacements to improve results for his female patients.

Learn more about Zimmer Gender Specific Knees