The benefits of joint unloading
Tissue preserving
High patient interest in preserving anatomy and future treatment options
.
Pain-free activity
Increasing number of younger osteoarthritics who demand pain relief and possibility of return to high activity
Treatment gap
Conquer the treatment gap between conservative care and late stage surgery (HTO, UKA, TKA)
.
Built on years of clinical experience with joint unloading, the UKU is specifically designed for patients wishing to preserve both their knee and their lifestyle.
The OA treatment continuum
The UKU is the first surgical implant, considered ahead of HTO, UKA, TKA, because it offers a reversible procedure and does not require bone removal.
Skyrocketing OA incidence in younger patients
Between 1990 and 2010, the incidence of symptomatic knee OA skyrocketed, particularly among patients 35–65 years of age.¹
Knee joint replacement is coming under increasing clinical scrutiny for younger patients who wish to maintain high activity levels
First performed in the 1960’s, knee joint replacement has provided benefit for many patients, but active adults of the 21st century are demanding more from their implants. Recent studies show that younger or active patients experience higher reoperation rates and higher levels of residual pain and dissatisfaction after knee replacement.
Residual symptoms after TKA 3
Percentage of patients with residual symptoms
No symptoms
Irrespective of the type of implant, patients < 65 years of age have twice the risk of revision as compared with those > 75 4
% of patients with residual symptoms
Joint unloading is a proven therapy that has recently become more common as the need for alternatives to arthoplasty becomes more evident. Numerous treatments, including weight loss, braces, and implantable unloaders, have delivered pain relief to patients with knee OA. 5–12 Studies have shown that only a relatively small amount of unloading can provide significant benefit. The UKU unloads a clinically meaningful 13 kg.
References
- American College of Rheumatology via Medtech Insight: Knee OA: Growing Demand for Non-surgical Options, 2011.
- Meehan et al. Younger Age is Associated with a Higher Risk of Early Periprosthetic Joint Infection and Asceptic Mechanical Failure After TKA. JBJS 2014: http://dx.doi.org/10.2106/JBJS.M.00545.
- Parvizi_High level of residual symptoms in young patients after total knee arthroplasty _Clin Orthop_2014.
- THE SWEDISH KNEE ARTHROPLASTY REGISTER – ANNUAL REPORT 2014 – PART
- Christensen et al., Effect of weight reduction in obese patients diagnosed with knee osteoarthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Ann Rheum Dis. 2007 Apr;66(4):433–9. Epub 2007 Jan 4.
- Messier et al., Weight loss reduces knee-joint loads in overweight and obese older adults with knee osteoarthritis. Arthritis Rheum. 2005 Jul;52(7):2026–32.
- Draganich et al., The effectiveness of self-adjustable custom and off-the-shelf bracing in the treatment of varus gonarthrosis. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2006 Dec;88(12):2645–52.
- Lindenfeld et al., Joint loading with valgus bracing in patients with varus gonarthrosis. Clin Orthop Relat Res. 1997 Nov;(344):290–7.
- Pollo et al., Reduction of medial compartment loads with valgus bracing of the osteoarthritic knee. Am J Sports Med. 2002 May-Jun;30(3):414–21.
- Self BP, et al., A biomechanical analysis of a medial unloading brace for osteoarthritis in the knee. Arthritis Care Res. 2000 Aug;13(4):191–7.
- Hunt et al., Associations among knee adduction moment, frontal plane ground reaction force, and lever arm during walking in patients with knee osteoarthritis. J Biomech. 2006;39(12):2213–20.
Epub 2005 Oct 5. - Thorp et al., Relationship between pain and medial knee joint loading in mild radiographic knee osteoarthritis. Arthritis Rheum. 2007 Oct 15;57(7):1254–60.