DJO Surgical teamed up with W. Andrew Hodge, MD and Scott Banks, Ph.D. of the Orthopedic Research Laboratory in West Palm Beach, Florida, to develop the innovative 3DKnee. Using moving x-ray images of healthy, active, total knees, and applying military imaging technology to study the motions of knees with artificial implants, W. Andrew Hodge, MD and Dr. Banks made significant discoveries about the way healthy and implanted knees behave:
The contact axis (the point where thigh and shin bones meet and rotate) of artificial knees is opposite that of normal, undamaged knees.
Traditional implants were sometimes failing after only a few years because the polyethylene cartilage inserts were wearing out unevenly and prematurely.
Traditional implants typically last for 10 years on average, depending on the patient’s activity level. This left many patients (those younger than 55 years of age) facing multiple surgeries within their lifetimes. Other consequences of the traditional designs included a more limited range of motion than necessary and undue stress on the implant parts.
W. Andrew Hodge, MD and Banks determined that only a precise balance between (1) the amount of contact between the thigh bone, shin bone and cartilage insert and (2) proper constraint of the knee joint will allow a knee implant to move and slide as the human body requires.
The result of their exhaustive research is the 3DKnee™ — the first implant with the right amount of constraint and contact. By reducing the resistance that has caused ordinary implants to deteriorate prematurely and addressing the real needs of human knee movement, the DJO Surgical 3DKnee™ offers an implant like none other: designed to be stronger, more stable, more durable, with higher performance and wider range of motion.