HOUSTON – Last year, more than 600,000 knee replacements were performed in the US and with the aging baby boomer population that number continues to go way up.
A Houston surgeon is now performing a new surgery that's revolutionizing knee replacements and giving patients their lives back.
Houstonian Sterling Harrison has done construction work for 30 years and it certainly took its toll on his knees.
Harrison told Local 2, "Once the pain got unbearable, then I started looking for a way to get rid of the pain."
Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Larry Likover with Memorial Hermann Memorial City Medical Center recommended double knee replacements. h
Fortunately, Harrison was a candidate for the new XP Preserving Knee Replacement.
Dr. Likover explained, "It's the first time in the history of orthopedics that we've been able to do a knee replacement and save all of the normal knee ligaments including the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).
He continued, "In a standard knee replacement, we basically remove the whole top of the tibia and you get a plastic implant that has a hump in it that makes up for the loss of the ACL."
But with XP, the stability of the knee is maintained by a patient's own healthy ligaments.
Dr. Likover added, "What's different about the XP is this very strong bar which had to be developed that would not break with repetitive stress and allow for preserving this large area for the ACL attachment."
The recovery I used the walker getting out of the car at home and then after that I told my son to get me a cane. I didn't need the walker anymore. Then days later, I didn't need the cane anymore. So it was just such a fast recovery with the XP knee, I just couldn't believe it."
Most importantly, he's recovered his sense of humor now that he's not in constant pain.
Harrison smiled, "It's just awesome! It's put a little skip in my step already."