Replacement knee

All the brands are very comparable. The most important thing is that the one doing the knee does them regularly and specializes in joint replacement.
 
The triathlon knee or "get around knee" is a very good implant. Most of the total knees on the market are very comparable. The first things first, you need a reputable surgeon. You can have the best implant possible, but if the person putting the implant in doesn't have a clue or doesn't seem to care about your outcome, then it's all for nothing.

I have been a part of many, many total joints. I've seen many surgeons good and bad. The good ones take the time to explain what they are doing, the implant they use and why they use it, and answer all your questions before the surgery happens. A good surgeon explains rehabilitation and peaks and valleys that might occur. Most surgeons use a particular implant because they feel comfortable with it and it is what's best for the patients. If you want to know more.

First things first......how do you know you need a new knee?
 
The brand will be picked by your surgeon. You don't want your surgeon putting in a implant that he/she is not familiar with. Some use a couple of systems.

Brands that are most reputable are as follows:

Stryker
Biomet
Zimmer
Smith & Nephew

Some surgeons can do patient specific implants. Your surgeon will send in a scan of your knee and the company builds a model. They make custom jigs that perfectly fit the cutting block to the condyle of the femur and the tibial plateau of the tibia. This makes for a patient specific implant.
 
You may be limited on what implants are available to you by which hospital you are planning on having the surgery done at.

As the previous guys mentioned, look for the best surgeon you can find and they will make sure they take care of you.
 
Smith and Nephew "The Journey" is what I've got. The only thing I can compare to was the way the knee was before, and it's much better now.

I limped on the original until it was tough to align the new one. I don't recommend waiting that long, but such is life.
 
I got a double knee replacement done in Nov. 2012 and did a Colorado back country elk hunt in Oct. 2013. I had 2 days that I did 10+ miles in very rugged country over 9000 ft. and the knees did everything I could ask. Even fell once and all worked really well:)!

Just plan on working your butt off for rehab and go for it! Titanium is in :D!

Oh, I'm 68 years young...
 
I got a double knee replacement done in Nov. 2012 and did a Colorado back country elk hunt in Oct. 2013. I had 2 days that I did 10+ miles in very rugged country over 9000 ft. and the knees did everything I could ask. Even fell once and all worked really well:)!

Just plan on working your butt off for rehab and go for it! Titanium is in :D!

Oh, I'm 68 years young...

Now that's impressive. And a good example for the rest of us. Nice work.
 
The basic design and materials used in TKA are essentially the same. The most important thing is to see a reputable surgeon, and go with what he is most comfortable with. Each company has different instrumentation used to make the appropriate bone cuts and achieve a well balanced knee. The implant companies now market directly to consumers which, in my opinion, is not very ethical. The most important factor in a long term, successful TKA, is balancing the soft tissues (ligaments). The most common reason for revision of a TKA is instability (not balancing the soft tissue). Good luck.
 
I had a stryker replacement on A
pril 30, 2014 and it has been great. Make sure any of you that plan on a replacement to do your rehab and work very hard at it.
 
Here is something you might want to do some furthur review on. This was just in our local Billings Gazette yesterday.

Orthopedic surgeon: New knee-replacement technology is "game changer"

I really don't know anymore than what the article says but it sounds encouraging. The patient in the article is a very active outdoorsman and I'd have no problem in contacting him personnally - I got a feeling he'd tell you the way it is.
 
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