Orthopedic surgeons perform hundreds of thousands of knee replacement operations each year in the US, and they are always looking for ways to improve on the standard technique and make the procedure less taxing on the patient. Recently, a new knee replacement technique has started to become the standard because of all the benefits it offers to the patient. This procedure is called quadriceps-sparing knee replacement surgery, and Dr. Botero specializes in this emerging type of knee replacement procedure. Below, we explain why quadriceps-sparing knee replacement is starting to become the norm, and why it offers so many benefits over the previous standard replacement procedure.
The Benefits Of Quad-Sparing Knee Replacement
Your quadriceps tendon is a strong tissue that connects your quadriceps muscles to the top of your kneecap, and it plays a key role in helping a person perform a number of essential knee functions, like walking, climbing stairs or any action that requires a straightening of the knee.
The previous standard knee replacement technique involved making an 8-10 inch incision right down the front of your knee, and this would force the surgeon to cut through this essential tendon in order to perform the replacement. However, with the quad-sparing technique, the surgeon ends up making a 3-4 inch incision on the front of the knee, and then special instruments are used to lift the quadriceps tendon up and out of the way so that the surgeon can access the knee joint and perform the joint replacement.
It may seem like a rather small tweak to the standard procedure, but this minimally invasive, quadriceps sparing adjustment offers a number of benefits to the patient, including:
- Less Pain – Because there is less damage to the quadriceps tendon and the nearby soft tissues, the patient will have less pain and discomfort during recovery.
- Quicker Discharge – This type of knee replacement typically allows the patient to be released from the surgical center much sooner than the standard procedure.
- More Stability – Patients also find that their knee joint feels more stable during and after recovery due to the fact that their supportive quadriceps tendon remains intact.
- Faster Recovery – Less internal damage means patients can typically get back to physical activities quicker than the standard knee replacement method.
- Less Blood Loss – Blood loss and blood-related surgical complications are minimized as a result of the quadriceps sparing technique.
- Smaller Scar – Because the incision site is roughly half the size of the standard procedure, scar site visibility is reduced with the help of the quadriceps sparing technique.
With all these benefits, many wonder why quadriceps sparing knee replacement hasn’t already become the norm? The main reason is because not all patients are the right candidate for the procedure. Ideal patients for the quadriceps sparing technique are younger, healthier and have a more ideal body weight, whereas older or overweight individuals may still benefit from a more standard technique. Dr. Botero would be more than happy to go over the two procedures and your individual factors to determine which type of knee replacement procedure is right for you.
For more information, or for help with a different knee or hip issue, reach out to Dr. Botero’s office today at (865) 558-4444.
