The Gender Solutions™ Knee:
A New Knee
Replacement Option for Women
Total knee replacement is a highly
successful surgery that provides substantial
improvement in pain, function and overall
health-related quality of life. Total knee replacement
involves the removal of a portion of bone that is damaged,
due to deterioration of cartilage, and the use of metal and plastic
implants to resurface the knee. Of the 400,000 annual knee
replacement patients, nearly two-thirds are women.
Although most women are happy with the results of a knee
replacement, some still experience residual pain, or the artificial
knee does not function the way their own did when it was
healthy. Knee replacement implants have historically been
designed based upon an average between the size of women's and
men's knees. Numerous studies have shown that the discomfort
women experience is due to the significant shape difference that
exists in men's and women's knees.
The Gender Solutions™ Knee, developed by Robert Booth, MD, Chief of Orthopaedic Surgery at Pennsylvania Hospital, and
a team of orthopaedists, was designed based on three distinct and
scientifically documented shape differences between men's and
women's knees, and a highly detailed map of the joint using three dimensional
imaging. The goal of this new implant is an overall better fit to alleviate joint pain and increase mobility.
The three differences include:
Thinner Profile – The bone in the front of a woman's knee is
typically less prominent than in a man's knee. The Gender
Solutions Knee Implant is thinner in shape in the front in
comparison to a traditional implant, so the knee replacement
more appropriately fits the natural female anatomy.
More Natural Tracking – The angle between the pelvis and the
knee affects how the kneecap tracks over the end of the femur
(thigh bone) as the knee moves through a range of motion.
Women tend to have a different angle than men. The Gender
Solutions Knee Implant was designed to accommodate the
different tracking angle and function more like a woman's
natural knee.
Contoured Shape – Typically, women's knees are narrower
from side to side, and are more trapezoid-shaped. The Gender
Solutions Knee is proportionally contoured to the entire bone
to provide a more precise fit than a traditional implant.
For more information about the Gender Solutions™ Knee
or to make an appointment with a Penn orthopaedist call,
1-800-789-PENN (7366) or request an appointment online.
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