Overview

Sometimes the simplest advancements are the
most innovative.
You may not know it, but there is a critical relationship between orthopaedic surgeons and the companies who develop the products and technology that help them care for their patients. Smith & Nephew has worked closely with some of the most accomplished surgeons in the world for over 20 years in an effort to develop the best possible products that help restore the lifestyle of thousands of patients throughout the world every year.

Even though we’ve done this successfully for years, we recently took a new approach to total knee arthroplasty. Instead of focusing just on improving the design and materials of total knee replacement implants, we worked closely with our surgeon consultants to try to solve some of the things that matter most to patients: the size of their post-operative scar and the amount of pain and soft-tissue trauma that total knee replacement creates.

When we really listened to what the surgical and patient community was telling us, we had to face facts. Surgeons and patients wanted smaller incisions and a less aggressive approach; it was the next logical progression in the evolution of total knee arthroplasty.

So with the guidance of a worldwide team of accomplished surgeons, and the contribution of our top engineering team, we developed the first widely-available minimally-invasive total knee replacement system. We redesigned our total knee instruments from scratch in order to make them smaller, more precise, and more efficient.

Instruments are only part of the story, they are an enabling technology that allows surgeons to use a gentler, more refined technique that gives patients all of the benefits without asking for any trade-offs.