Chesapeake Health surgeon is among the first nationally to use a recently approved partial knee implant

Dr. Edward Habeeb, a Chesapeake Health orthopedic surgeon, is one of the first surgeons in the United States to perform partial knee replacement surgery utilizing the Oxford Unicompartmental Knee System.

The Oxford knee is the only FDA-approved free-floating meniscal unicompartmental knee system available in the United States and has been used throughout Europe for more than 20 years. It became available in the U.S. in 2005.

Unlike total knee replacement involving removal of all the knee joint surfaces, a unicompartmental knee replacement replaces only one side of the knee joint. Knee osteoarthritis usually occurs first in the medial (inside) compartment, as this side of the knee bears most of the weight. 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 one of the only implants equipped 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 system is designed to balance the soft tissues and to accurately reproduce normal knee motion. As a result, it may also 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.