minimal surgery

The fast-paced world has extended the total knee replacement to the younger generation as well. With sports injuries and other mishaps, knee surgeries or knee replacements have extended to the old and the young alike.

The choice of the type of knee replacement is contingent on several factors- the age of the patient, the level of motion, the budget of the patient, and the current state of the knee.

Usually, an elderly patient who has less physical activity may not need a high flexion implant relative to the younger athlete who has to be physically gung-ho all the time.

The Evolution of New Technology – Oxinium Knee Replacement

Post the traditional knee surgery there were potential risks of loosening, wear out, an infection that could call for repair surgery.

The impact of high physical activity like running or sprinting could further damage the knee and cause the knee replacement to fail earlier than anticipated.

With the use of cobalt-chromium alloys as the prosthesis for knee replacement, it came to light that the chromium gradually wears out, the surface gets rough and some lumps or debris started forming in the knee leading to quick wear out of the metal. The metal does not stay resilient to the cyclical load and stress of daily routine.

The risks of the knee replacement or the allergy to some patients due to metals like cobalt, chromium led to a phenomenal discovery of a new metal composition for the knee, femoral, or the thigh bone area.

The OXINIUM Oxidized Zirconium is a path-breaking, award-winning, and patented ceramic-metal alloy beneficial for younger patients who have an active lifestyle and a high level of physical activities.

What is OXINIUM Oxidized Zirconium Knee Replacement?

Oxidized Zirconium is a metal alloy comprising 97.5% zirconium and 2.5% niobium. The resulting alloy is the most biocompatible metal known to date. The Oxinium has a ceramic-like surface and structure like metal.

During the process of manufacture of the alloy, the implant’s surface is made into a hard and ceramic metal with the body structure and durability of the metal inside.

With the ceramic surface, the metal implant becomes twice as hard and twice as resistant to wear-out and abrasions compared to cobalt-chromium alloy.

How is Oxinium better than Cobalt-Chrome Knee Replacement?

There are various aspects that need to be considered in order to compare the two alloys of knee replacement:

• Strength and Hard Surface

As it is evident by now, the surface hardness of oxidized zirconium is twice that of cobalt-chromium alloy.

• Brittleness

Oxinium is less brittle compared to cobalt-chromium alloy and reduces the risk of brittle fractures.

• Wear-out Rate

It is proven that prosthesis made from an Oxinium has lesser wear out rate by nearly 50% compared to cobalt-chromium knee replacement. It is abrasion-resistant and resistant to wear-out due to strenuous or continuous physical activity.

• Nickel Content

Oxinium scores on this point as well because there is minimal nickel content and this lowers the chances of metal sensitivity or infection in patients.

What are the Advantages of Oxinium Knee Replacement?

The features of oxidized zirconium make it superior for femoral and knee replacement. Dr. Tanveer Bhutani, the best orthopedic surgeon in Punjab, says that the following people have highly benefitted from Oxinium knee replacement:

• Young, Energetic Patients

Patients who have their whole life and do not wish to undergo a revision knee surgery any time before 20 years have chosen Oxinium Knee replacement. Oxidized zirconium is harder and scratch-resistant, abrasion-resistant, and has a very low wear-out tendency.

Prosthesis from Oxinium is expected to last almost 35 years, according to Dr. Bhutani. Hence this is more suitable for younger patients who have fitness and sports as a priority.

• Patients with an Active Lifestyle

If you have a high activity level, there are chances that abrasion and wear out can lead to breakage and damage to the traditional cobalt-chromium alloy. This could call for a revision knee surgery very soon. Dr. Bhutani emphasizes that Oxinium knee replacement will endure the stress and high movement, abrasion for a longer time than the cobalt-chromium knee replacement.

• Patients who are Allergic to Metals

There have been patients who are allergic to nickel content and cannot endure the cobalt-chromium aggregate knee replacement. Without the fear of any allergies, Dr. Bhutani strongly recommends the Oxinium knee replacement as the nickel content in it is barely minimal and it is the most bio-compatible element invented to date.

Conclusion

Total Knee Replacement should be a once-in-a-lifetime process and this is possible if you use the best metal for the knee replacement.

The orthopedics vouch for Oxinium oxidized zirconium alloy as the safest and strongest knee replacement element. For any queries and long-term vision, get in touch with Punjab’s best orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Tanveer Bhutani at EVA Hospital, Ludhiana.