Millions of Americans suffer from osteoarthritis of the knee and hip, which typically produces both persistent pain and a marked loss of mobility. An increasing number of those affected by this condition find that it arrives long before they’re ready to slow down.

The orthopedic surgeons at Plaza Medical Center – led by the fellowship–trained partners of the Texas Hip and Knee Center – are dedicated to finding and perfecting new and less invasive techniques that can help osteoarthritis sufferers resume full and active lives.

One such innovation is hip resurfacing. This approach has the virtue of preserving more of a patient’s own bone structure. Instead of replacing the entire hip, an all–metal implant made of tough, smooth, cobalt chrome is introduced to the hip area, minimizing removal of natural bone.

Dr. Ted Crofford, Dr. Steven Weeden and Dr. Robert Schmidt of the Texas Hip and Knee Center were some of the first U.S. surgeons to be trained in this new technique. It enables them to reduce the risk of post–operative dislocation, while giving patients a hip that can withstand the rigors of an active lifestyle. The center’s surgeons have recently been enlisted to teach the technique to others in the field.

Dr. Ajai Cadambi, another innovation–minded member of the group, has for several years been using a similar metal–on–metal implant in some of the total hip replacements he performs, and reports that it offers a number of important advantages over a standard implant.

The Texas Hip and Knee Center is committed to maintaining and building on the technological edge it has already established. In 2006, the center added a fifth fellowship–trained partner, Dr. Jeffrey McGowen, to help ensure continuing growth of its patient base and research momentum.

The latest clinical breakthrough to undergo evaluation at Texas Hip and Knee Center is an alternative to total knee replacement. A new, high–performance partial knee–resurfacing implant preserves bone and ligaments that in a standard total knee replacement would have had to be sacrificed. Several of the doctors also perform partial knee replacements in patients who meet strict criteria.

The center is also participating in research on the next–generation of artificial hip implants. Because issues of bone fragility and low bone–mass often arise in the female hip, an implant has been developed specifically for women. The Versus Epoch hip implant actually mimics the bending stiffness of human bone, allowing for natural flexing and twisting.

Dr. Robert Schmidt of the Texas Hip and Knee Center was among the developers of the Versus Epoch hip, which is one of a number of “female–friendly” implants currently being evaluated at the center.

Evaluation is also taking place at Plaza and the Texas Hip and Knee Center on knee implants specifically designed to fit the female anatomy. In the summer of 2006, members of the Texas Hip and Knee group were among the first in the world to insert the new knee implants.