“First in Florida, and one of only 13 in U.S. Approved to perform Oxford TM partial knee replacement surgery.
David Orthopedic Center
Mark J. Davis, MD, FAAOS, P.A.

My knee hurt so much I could hardly walk anymore," says retired hairstylist Emily Love, "and I'm a very active person. I was used to walking three miles a day and going out dancing with my husband nearly every weekend. Then, to make matters worse, I was starting to gain weight from lack of exercise.

"I had arthroscopic surgery on my knee about three years ago, but it didn't help, so I just kept thinking that maybe the pain would go away. Instead, it just got worse."

Emily didn't want to go through the ordeal of a full knee replacement, particularly because her pain was confined to the inner side of her knee.

"I really didn't know what to do," she remembers. "Then one day, while I was at my dentist's office waiting to have my teeth cleaned, I picked up a copy of Florida Health Care News and read any article about Dr. Mark Davis."

Mark J. Davis, MD, is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon, who has extensive and prestigious additional Fellowship training in hip and knee replacment from Anderson Clinic in Arlington, Virginia.

"The article talked about his partial knee replacements, and I said to myself, That's exactly what I need," says Emily with conviction.

Emily took the article home for her husband to read, and together they decided she should schedule an appointment with Dr. Davis.

THE EVALUATION
According to Dr. Davis, a thorough history and a clinical examination focused on determining levels and location of pain and stiffness are essential before making any recommendations.

The doctor explains that x-rays are used to determine if arthritis is apparent only in the inside part of the knee, an important prerequisite in determining the best intervention. In a normal knee, the condyles, two rounded, knob-like protuberances at the bottom of the femur or thigh bone, fits and move in the hollows of the tibia or shin bone, forming the actual knee joint. When one condyle is damaged due to wear, injury or arthritis, the resulting pain and impaired motion of the knee can become incapacitating.

"Dr. Davis told me I was definitely a candidate for a partial knee replacement," recounts Emily, "but he said he was leaving that weekend for England to learn a newly FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approved procedure called the Oxford TM knee replacement. He asked me if I would mind waiting, because he felt the Oxford was going to be the best answer for me."

THE OXFORD TM
The Oxford Unicompartmental Knee System has been used in Europe for over twenty years," explains Dr. Davis, "and the twenty year outcomes have been outstanding.

"The surgery can be performed through small incisions that require only a twenty-four hour hospital stay, and with its twenty-year outcome, it may be the last surgery patients will ever required on their knees."

The FDA approved the Oxford Mensical Unicompartmental Knee System by Biomet Orthopedics, Inc. of Warsaw, Indiana, in April of 2004.

"The benefits of the Oxford is that it is a mobile bearing knee system, meaning that the plastic bearing slides, allowing the artificial knee joint to move," informs Dr. Davis. "The implant's outcomes and longevity are far superior to anything else out there on the market."

According to the doctor, the FDA requires that only physicians who have actually trained with other physicians experienced with the Oxford surgical procedure be allowed to perform the surgery. Dr. Davis is one of only thirteen doctors in the U.S. Who are approved to perform the surgery. He was selected to travel to Exford, England, where he was trained.

"When Dr. Davis returned from england, he told me again that he thought I would be an excellent candidate for the procedure," recalls Emily. "He took a significant amount of time with me that day. We discussed everything he had seen, and he explained why he thought it was the right choice for me.

"I said, Let's go for it."

GREAT RESULT
"I was treated wonderfully at the hospital," says Emily. "Dr. Davis gave me some comforting words before they gave me an anesthetic, and the next thing I remember I was waking up, and I had a knee replacement.

"When I told the aid I needed to use the restroom, she said, I think you can get up. I thought, oh my gosh, can I?

"I stood up, and it was absolutely amazing. After four years of pain, my knee didn't hurt."

"Over ninety-five percent of my patients required only overnight hospital stays," reports Dr. Davis, "and those who stay longer are usually patients who have special challenges at home. They are not staying longer because of surgical complications or discomfort.

"When I say a 24-hour hospital stay, I mean a 24-hour hospital stay."

Emily returned home the next day, and after only two months, she says her scar is almost invisible.

"I am so happy with the surgery," she marvels. "I was in such agony for so long, and I just kept putting it off.

"Now I'm out running and dancing again, and I've lost the weight I gained."

"Anytime a person's joint gives them recurring problems, I recommend they have it evaluated," observes Dr. Davis. "The majority of my patients tell me they appreciate the fact that we try as many non-operative treatments as make sense before we ever talk about surgery.

"However, if other options are not successful, people don't need to suffer for years and years, waiting until they're candidates for a total knee replacement; they can opt for our new Oxford Knee System partial replacement and get back to a pain-free lifestyle much quicker." FHCN-Kris Kline

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