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Special 'off loader' for early knee arthritis

Professor James Richardson from Oswestry's Robert Jones and Angus Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital has learned of a special 'off-loader' for early knee arthritis. Professor Richardson had been working on a similar idea to reduce loading across the knee (but different design) 2 years ago with Dr Jan Herman Kuiper. Earlier this year the company Moximed contacted Professor Richardson and showed him a very smart device that provides this function with a short spring set alongside the knee. This has been used in 30 patients in australia and the improved version is now available for trail at Oswestry and a few other centres in Europe.

Professor Richardosn travelled to Gent to study the surgical technique together with Dr Frederik Almquist and Professor Rene Verdonk. The procedure should take less than an hour and although a short rest will be important to allow woulnd healing, it is likely that rehabilitation will be relatively quick. The early group of patients were very pleased with the reduction in the pain of their arthritis. It will be a useful alternative to the tensegrity osteotomy or autologous chondrocyte implantation with or without meniscal transplantation.

This technique is new and so no promises or expectations of its benefits can be made. It is experimental but it is only by trying new things that progress can be made. This device does have the advantage of being removable and so even if it fails it is unlikely to leave a major problem.

Oswestry's Robert Jones and Angus Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital has also been successful with a grant to trial selected and cultured mesenchymal stem cells with chondrocytes, in all cases the patients own cells. This trial will begin soon and will be called the Ascot trial (perhaps it will one day provide a solution for horses who commonly have a problem with osteochondral defects).

Professor Richardson has also begun use of the ACTIFIT meniscus with excellent early results. He has the advantage of being able to add cultured autologous cells at the time of surgery which should predictably aid regeneration of the patient's own tissues.