The technique requires only a 3 to 4 inch incision.
Quad sparing knee replacement doctors.
Patients of all ages are walking within a few hours and often go home the same day as their procedure.
Instead of cutting the quadriceps tendon surgeons make a 3 5 inch incision on the knee and split or dissect under a single quadriceps muscle.
This new technique which is sometimes called quadriceps sparing knee replacement uses an incision that is typically only 3 4 in length see figure 2.
The quad sparing approach cuts just the inside of the knee cap.
Rick nixon has been trained through the zimmer institute in warsaw indiana to perform the patented zimmer quad sparing mis total knee replacement and is the only surgeon in the houston area who performs the technique.
In fact therapists have you on your feet within hours after the procedure.
There is definitely a steep learning curve regarding the use of these instruments and many physicians including myself worry about the accuracy of the bone cuts and limb alignment with these side cutting instruments.
Because no major tendons or muscles are cut recovery is faster and less painful.
More rapid return of knee function.
The same artificial joint used in conventional knee replacements is fit into place.
A quadriceps sparing knee replacement is often called minimally invasive because the orthopedic surgeon makes smaller incisions in the muscles that support the knee.
The main potential benefits of quadriceps sparing total knee replacement include.
Minimally invasive quadriceps sparing total knee replacement is a new surgical technique that allows surgeons to insert the same time tested reliable knee replacement implants through a shorter incision using surgical approach that avoids trauma to the quadriceps muscle see figure 1 which is the most important muscle group around the knee.
This approach requires special side cutting instruments.
You ll be glad to know that surgeons at aspire orthopedic institute use a minimally invasive knee replacement technique called quadriceps sparing this means they are able to implant the knee joint replacement without dislocating the knee or making a large incision in the quadriceps muscle and tendon as is done in traditional surgery.
Traditional total knee replacement entails cutting into the quadriceps tendon which connects the large quadriceps muscle group on the front of the thigh to the kneecap.
To access the knee joint during traditional knee replacement surgery the surgeon cuts through quadriceps muscles at the front of the thigh the quad tendon that attaches the four quadriceps muscles to the kneecap and other soft tissue.
