I Just Returned From the Netherlands to Learn More About an Amazing Alternative to Total Knee Replacement Called Knee Joint Distraction Arthroplasty
Over the Thanksgiving weekend, I traveled for 6 days to one of the finest medical centers in the Netherlands: about half an hour outside of Amsterdam. My practice is devoted to joint preservation rather than replacement. Orthopaedic Surgeons in the Netherlands have recently published the results of a minimally invasive procedure that avoids joints replacement in most cases and also results in regrowth of cartilage. They have more than 10 years of follow up and experience. The procedure involves putting pins into the thigh and leg bones and distracting the joint to allow space for new cartilage to grow. Pins are removed at 6 weeks and walking is permitted all the while.