Physician can perform special partial knee replacement surgery

Dr. Lowell Stonecipher, a board-certified orthopedic surgeon at West Tennessee Bone & Joint Clinic, is the only orthopedic surgeon in Jackson who has been approved by the FDA to perform partial knee replacement surgery using the Oxford Unicompartmental Knee System.

The Oxford Knee is the only FDA-approved free floating meniscal unicompartmental knee system available in the United States, Dr. Stonecipher says.

Unlike total knee replacement involving removal of all the knee joint surfaces, a unicompartmental knee replacement replaces only one side of the knee joint, Dr. Stonecipher explains. In knees that are otherwise healthy, a unicompartmental approach allows the outer compartment and all ligaments to remain intact. By retaining all of the undamaged parts, the joint may function more naturally.

In a healthy knee, the meniscal cartilage serves as a shock absorber between the ends of the bones. The Oxford Knee is a unicompartmental implant with an artificial meniscal bearing designed to glide freely throughout the knee’s range of motion to more closely replicate normal movement. The free-floating nature of the device also greatly improves durability of the implant.

The Oxford Knee also may allow for a more rapid recovery due to the use of minimally invasive instrumentation and technique. The operation can be performed through a small incision with great precision.

Surgeons in the United States who wish to use the Oxford System are required by the FDA to attend an advanced instructional course on the device.