Maxx Orthopaedic Inc., located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, has launched a knee implant designed specifically for an Asian population. Ameya Velingkar, a knee replacement surgeon based in the state of Goa, India, conducted the initial trials of what the manufacturer has named the “Freedom Knee.”
Maxx’s Freedom Knee Debuts in Goa
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Velingkar says that the technology is a result of six years of research by Maxx Medicals into the problems faced by Asians, who are usually shorter when compared to their western counterparts. “Due to low height, especially amongst women, the knee replacement was becoming tedious and painful, ” he said.
Velingkar said many Asians experience “poor bone mass” and their lifestyle involves assuming highly flexible postures. This results in knee replacement surgery being appropriate for a majority of Asians 60 years of age and older. “Freedom knee is a blessing for the Indian patients as it gives them the high flexion allowing them to bend their knee fully and thus the patient can kneel, squat and sit cross-legged.”
Following the first successful trial in Goa, surgeons performed 25 additional Freedom Knee surgeries. Velingkar said that 180 knee surgeries are done annually in Goa hospitals.
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This is a fascinating development. In my practice we've seen similar outcomes with the revised protocol. The key differentiator seems to be patient selection criteria. Has anyone else noticed the correlation with BMI thresholds?
Great point. I'd push back slightly on the conclusion, the sample size in the cited study is too small to draw population-level inferences. That said, the directional signal is compelling and worth a larger RCT.
We implemented a similar approach last year. Early results are promising but we're still gathering 12-month follow-up data. Happy to share our protocol if anyone is interested.
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