Total Knee Replacement
In the field of total knee replacement, Dr Howell designed a new alignment method called ‘kinematic alignment’ in 2005 in response to registry data in England and Canada showing that 1 of 5 patients are not satisfied with their total knee replacement because of stiffness, instability, and pain. Kinematic alignment improves the rate of recovery, function, and patient satisfaction when compared to the traditional mechanically aligned total knee replacement.
The first application of kinematic alignment was with the Custom Fit OtisKnee in January 2006, which is manufactured by OtisMed, Inc and is a company cofounded by Dr Howell, which is now owned by Stryker Orthopaedics. The OtisKnee uses Shape-Matching technology to kinematically align a total knee replacement to an individual’s anatomy. The OtisKnee has been used in 23,000 knees in the United States and is currently in use in Europe, Canada, and Australia and pending FDA approval in the US. After performing 1100 kinematically aligned OtisKnee operations with custom-fit patient-specific guides, Dr Howell modified conventional instruments and has used them to perform kinematic alignment in over 500 patients between Oct 2009 and Jan 2011.
This website contains a series of informational videos and scientific publications by Dr Howell that show the principles, surgical techniques, rapid recovery, patient satisfaction, and advantages and disadvantages of kinematic aligning a total knee replacement for viewing and reading by interested surgeons, patients, and physical therapists.
