ARE YOU A CANDIDATE FOR TOTAL KNEE REPLACEMENT?
Take the Oxford Knee Score quiz to generate your score.
The best score is 48 and the worst score is 0.
If your score is less than 30, you might be a candidate for a knee replacement surgery.
Take our knee risk quiz today.
Kinematic Alignment Total Knee Replacement
Because every knee is different, a successful knee replacement requires exact positioning and fit specific to the patient's knee. Nearly 25 years ago, Dr. Stephen Howell saw that about 20% of patients were not as happy with the surgery, so he developed the calipered kinematically aligned total knee replacement that restores the patient's pre-arthritic knee alignment and function. Ten years ago, Dr. Alexander Nedopil partnered with Dr. Howell. Together, they published many pivotal studies that validate the surgery's accuracy and reliability, which is achieved by precise placement of the knee replacement components within a half millimeter of the pre-arthritic joint line as measured with the caliper. Together Dr. Howell and Dr. Nedopil continue to refine and provide this surgical procedure to patients at Adventist Health Lodi Memorial.
The kinematic alignment approach naturally aligns the knee by custom positioning the implant to the native joint line of the knee, like it was before arthritis developed. This personalized method speeds recovery and provides greater satisfaction, pain relief, function, and flexion than traditional or mechanically aligned total knee replacement. In fact, at three and six years after surgery, implant survival is equivalent to or better than knee replacements using traditional mechanical alignment.
Unlike the kinematic alignment approach, mechanical alignment places the implant in an “average” position for all patients. This changes the natural alignment of the limb and knee, causing uncorrectable knee instabilities. Orthopedic literature reports that 20-25% of patients with mechanically aligned total knee replacement continue to complain of pain, stiffness, and instability, despite the surgical intervention. Precision kinematic alignment lessens these undesirable consequences by customizing the position of the implants.
Dr. Howell and Dr. Nedopil have developed a plan to help patients return to the comfort of their own home even more quickly after a kinematically aligned total knee replacement. Our team has found that patients who go home the same day of surgery experience less pain and have a lowered risk of exposure to hospital-acquired infections and COVID-19. For those who wish to stay in town post-surgery, Adventist Health Lodi Memorial has an agreement with the Fairmont Inn and Suites by Marriott in Lodi. This same-day discharge creates a safe, effective, more comfortable approach to knee replacement surgery.
Before committing to knee surgery, prospective patients are encouraged to research and evaluate the benefits and outcomes of each procedure to determine which one will help them successfully resume their active lifestyle.
Patient Guidebooks & Video
Trusted Orthopedic Specialists Offer the Latest Approach to Total Knee Replacement
Adventist Health Lodi Memorial is pleased to partner with Dr. Stephen Howell and Dr. Alexander Nedopil to offer this innovative approach to total knee replacement. We are confident you will have a high level of satisfaction with your results.
