Oxford Knee Or Partial Knee Replacement

Educate us please. Tell us , what is "unicompartmental knee replacement" ? Doctors advertise, but do not educate about what they can do.

My husband had an Oxford partial knee 4 year ago. He recovered quickly, never had physical therapy but was back at work within 2 weeks, able to climb ladders, do everything that he had done before.....Fast forward 4 years later, was having persistent moderate pain but was still able to walk, ride a bike, mild hiking. He saw a different orthopod who did an x-ray (could not do an MRI due to his having metal rods in his back.) The doctor said that he had a joint mouse (a small piece of calcium broken off and irritating the joint) and scheduled him for an arthroscopy. Went he got the scope into the joint, he could not believe the amount of damage in the joint. The cement had failed, so that the components were completely loose and with each step it was rubbing against he bone further eroding it. The joint was filled with cement debri, plastic pieces and bone dust. He was forced to do a total knee replacement! This happens so frequently that there is a name for it "aseptic loosening." His current orthopod feels that with the degree of arthritis in his knee now, he should have had a total knee 4 years ago. So do your research on both the doctor and the procedure before you have an Oxford partialknee replacement.....

this post seems extremely unlikely. I am a very fit 45 year old and just had my partial knee replacement done. Can not for the life of me imagine that in 15 days time i will be running. Moreover, all research strongly discourages patients to run or put any kind of high impact pressure on the joints at all, ever. Running is no longer an option as it will reduce the life time of the implant considerably and one would need to replace it more frequently. Hence, strange posting of this gentleman claiming to go running so soon.

I have had both knees replaced with the Oxford knee partial replacement.  I have nothing but positive to say about my left knee, thank goodness, because my right knee is not ok at all.  I can only walk with a cane, and live on Tramadol.  I did have a lot of swelling for awhile but that improved when the Dr scoped my knee to put the kneecap in the right place.  The PT guy says I have met all requirements but the pain does not go away without the pain pills.  Even so the knee cannot take the weight.  Next week I am due to have a full knee replacement on the right knee.  Don't look forward to another 6 months but am hoping that is the end of it.  I am 70 but was very active, living in a snow community so I can ski everyday for 4 months of the year, but this winter I missed ski season, hoping not to miss any more.

 

I had an Oxford Knee put in my left knee in 2007 at the age of 47, just had another Oxford Knee put in my right knee last week at age 53. No, there is no way I'll be running a marathon in a month's time, I can guarantee you that I will never run a marathon. But I will enjoy walking without pain, I'll play a little golf and take the stairs every once an a while instead of the elevator. I'll go on vacation with my wife and walk the streets of some of the most interesting cities of the world. I'll eat right and try to keep my weight under control. I'm expecting a little pain, and most likely a fair bit of swelling too! These aren't "magic" knees for God's sake, they are thoroughly researched and well manufactured devices that offer you a chance at a new life. I've met people that were morbidly obese that have multiple implants (knees, hips) that b***h and complain and tell me how disappointed they are in their Doctor or the implant. Drives me nuts, they aren't perfect, but if you have a good surgeon (which with an Oxford vs a Total Knee Replacement is absolutely key) and you do your bit, there's a great chance that it will make a huge difference in your life. 

I had an Oxford partial knee replacement 3 years ago, on medical side left knee. Had a full replacement 18 months ago on right knee. No problem with the full replacement. Partial has never felt good I still get terrible shooting sharp Pain when walking.

Studies have consistently shown that patients who are appropriate candidates for an Oxford partial knee replacement are much more satisfied than patients that receive a total knee replacement. That does not mean that 100% of the Oxford patients are satisfied, of course, but a higher percentage are satisfied versus those who receive a total replacement. Many times, when a Oxford knee replacement is revised to a total knee due to unexplained pain, the patient continues to experience the unexplained pain with the total knee as well. The can and does occur with some patients who just have a total knee to begin with as well.

If your surgeon cannot find the cause of your pain, it is a good idea to have another exam from a second doctor who is trained to implant the Oxford. Surgeons who are not trained on the Oxford are much less likely to understand what is going on, because part of the training is studying all the potential complications and how to recognize them. You can find Oxford trained surgeons on oxfordknee.com.

One of the many advantages of the Oxford is that if it does have to be revised, it can be replaced with a standard primary total knee. If a total knee has to be revised, most of the time it has to be replaced with a more complicated revision implant with longer stems and augments on the femur and tibial. Generally these implants are more constrained and do not allow for as great a range of motion as a primary knee.

The Oxford is a great surgery for the right patients. Unfortunately, some doctors will push the envelope with the indications if the patient expresses a desire for a partial replacement over a total due to the quicker and less painful recovery period. There is NO advantage to the surgeon in doing an Oxford versus a total. Medicare actually pays them about $300 less for an Oxford, and it is a more demanding surgery than the total knee, and many times can take a little longer to perform in surgery.

However, you may be a true candidate for an Oxford, and have a trained surgeon who is not as comfortable with the technical demands of the surgery who will want to do a total instead. That's not fair to the patient, because the Oxford is a better surgery when indicated. Particularly, the arthritis should be limited to the anterior medial part of the knee, there should be full thickness cartilage on the lateral side, the ACL should be intact and functional, and the deformity should be less than 15 degrees. Many surgeons also take the patient's BMI into account.

Asceptic loosening is a risk with ALL joint replacements, and is much less common in the Oxford than other knee replacements due to the mobile bearing design of the Oxford which reduces the stresses on the implant to bone interface.

Good luck, and I hope it works out for you!

Many surgeons and manufacturers now use the term "partial knee replacement" instead of unicompartmental. Go to "oxfordknee.com" for more details. The partial knee only replaces the area of the knee effected by arthritis, and preserves the healthy part of the knee. A total knee completely removes and replaces the bottom 10mm or so of the femur, (or "thigh bone"), and the top 12-14mm of the tibia, (or "shin bone"), as well as 8-10mm of the patella, (or "knee cap").

The three compartments of the knee joint are the medial (inside), lateral (outside), and the patella. As mentioned, the partial knee only replaces one compartment, most commonly the medial side. Lateral compartment cases are fairly rare, but some doctors will do them on occasion.

The recovery for a partial is much quicker and less painful, and many times does not require much formal physical therapy. The Oxford knee has a track record of success of more than 25 years. See posting below for more info.

Yes I had the same April 15 2013, my Dr. just told me I need a full replacement after 5.5 months did you get legal advice?

I too has an Oxford knee replacement that did not work. I had the full knee replaced this year. I would not recommend it. I still have the same problems I did with the partial and now my surgeon is at a loss as to what to do now. Good luck to you

i am 45yrs old i had a partial knee replacement almost 5 months ago i am still in so much pain i wake up every 2 hrs.with pain in my kneecap and it feels like my knee is in a vice being squeezed every step i take feels like my bones are going to snap my dr. says my xrays look good and i am 1 out of 300 its going to get better any advice what to do

I had the Oxford put in 10 months ago and the pain is still very bad. I can't bend the knee very much or even attempt to kneel on it. At this point, I wish I had just tried to endure the less intense pain I was living with after 3 scopes - I would strongly advise against anyone having an Oxford implant operation. The guy that claims to have run a 5K is full of sh*t - you can't even walk without serious pain 3 weeks after this kind of surgery.

Have had both knees partially replaced, their better then before . Problem is left one is not aligned properly (aches all the time) rights better but not great. Both were Oxfords . If had to do again would go total replacements. Which sooner then later I will have to do the left and maybe both anyhow. Do your research , make sure they align with computer. If you have a cocky arrogant Dr. , Walk out the door . After I called his office and told him of my problem he said no worry just come back in and will give you another one but this time a Total. No pain for him I guess and diffenitly not in his billfold. Gods Speed n good luck

There is a Blood Flow Stimulation Therapy (BFST) that I highly recommend. It is an energy web within a knee wrap that promotes the circulation you need, deep down below the dermal level, in order to accelerate the healing process. The increased blood flow will also lubricate the knee, making it feel less stiff and more elastic. It's amazing.

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On the 22 May 2014 I had my left knee oxford partial fitted and I was doing well being able to walk without a stick after ten days.On june the 4 I saw the surgeon who was very pleased with my progress and said that he would see me in four weeks with a view to discharging me.I walked out to my lift as I was getting in the car I felt an exscrutiating pain in my knee and hobbled back into the waiting room luckily the surgeon was still there and he gave me an Xray which showed that the  bearing had popped out of the implant so I was admitted imedietly to have a revision which I had the next day ,when the bearing pooped out it damaged some ligaments ,I am at home now but I have been given a knee brace which severly restricts the movement of my  knee