The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center has successfully implanted a device that is designed to relieve knee pain and help prevent the need for knee replacements in people with osteoarthritis.
Currently, the Calypso Knee System is under clinical trial and is being tested for its ability to extend the functional life of a knee joint. This could help eliminate constant knee pain for patients suffering with osteoarthritis and allow them to remain active.
“This device works like a shock absorber to take pressure off the inside of the knee while creating a cushion similar to what cartilage provides in a healthy joint,” said Dr. David Flanigan, an orthopedic surgeon at Ohio State Wexner Medical Center who performed the successful surgery. “The hope is that it increases joint functionality, reduces pain and delays a total knee arthroplasty for years or even decades.”
The device was created by Moximed Inc., and was designed to treat symptoms of osteoarthritis without adjusting the anatomy, or removing any tissue or bone, from the knee. The implant is able to absorb excess knee loads that are the main cause of pain in osteoarthritic joints.
“We hope this will be an opportunity for patients with osteoarthritis to remain active without pain for a much longer period of time,” Flanigan said.
In total, the researchers will have 80 trial participants receive the implant, and if the trial proves successful, Flanigan believes the device will be available worldwide.
“A total knee replacement is truly permanent. You’ve removed the bone and there’s really no going back at that point,” Flanigan said. “People are really looking for other options to help them remain active and extend the life of their joint as much as possible before having a knee replacement.”