Knee Implant Designed for Women

A new knee replacement system has been designed to specifically address the unique needs of women patients.

Gender Solutions, a knee femoral implant manufactured by Zimmer Holdings (Warsaw, IN, USA), is based on Zimmer's flagship brand, the NexGen complete knee solution. During the course of more than five years of research and, in the aggregate, a review of more than 800 femurs and patellae, investigators identified significant differences between males and females, including the narrower width of female femurs, reduced anterior condyle height, and a tendency toward a more lateral patellar track. The ligaments supporting the knee also tended to be looser in women than in men.

Our Gender Solutions knee femoral implants have been specifically designed for women, which distinguishes our system from those which are merely downsized versions of existing designs--women are clearly not little men, said Ray Elliott, Zimmer chairman, president and CEO.

Women represent 60% of knee replacement patients. Even though they suffer from severe arthritis at three times the rate of men, women are less likely to undergo hip or knee replacements. Also, women who have a knee replacement have more pain and function loss at the time of the procedure, suggesting that either women or their doctors tend to delay surgery.



Related Links:
Zimmer Holdings