Designed Especially for Women

Most knee replacements don’t account for the differences between a woman’s and a man’s knee, but Saint Vincent offers a type of knee implant that is built with women in mind.  The gender-specific knee implant provides a better fit, increased available knee motion and more natural movement because it closely matches the shape and size of a woman’s knee. Three distinct differences make the female-specific knee implant a better choice for many women.

• A thinner profile: The bone in the front of a woman's knee typically isn’t as thick as a man's. Generic implants have a thickness in front that may end up making them feel "bulky" for women, which may result in pain and a decrease in range of motion. The thinner profile accommodates this anatomical difference between men and women.
• More natural movement: The angle between the hip and the knee affects how the kneecap moves over the thighbone. Women have a distinct shape that frequently results in a different angle between the hip and the knee when compared to men. The gender-specific implant accounts for this difference, allowing for more natural movement.
• Contoured shape: This shaping provides for a more precise fit in a woman’s narrower knee. It may prevent the implant from hanging over the bone and potentially pressing on or damaging surrounding ligaments or tendons.

Femoral nerve block: pain control for knee replacement
Patients facing total knee replacement or other knee surgery at Saint Vincent can look forward to a less painful post-surgery experience with a procedure called a femoral nerve block. A femoral nerve block is a pre-surgical procedure in which an anesthesiologist inserts a catheter into the groin and threads it near the hip or knee. A local anesthetic is delivered to numb the joint during surgery and for two days afterward. Patients benefit from this procedure because it:

• Provides safe and effective post-operative pain control
• Decreases the need for pain medications, thereby also avoiding the possible side effects
• Helps patients begin post-operative physical therapy with less discomfort

Click on the link below to read one patient's experience with femoral nerve block for knee replacement. 

Femoral Nerve Block
for less painful knee surgery