New Knee, New Life

Shirley Brower has always led an active life. She roller skated, bicycled, and traveled. Yet when osteoarthritis began to take its toll in her late 70s, causing debilitating pain, Shirley knew it was time to seek help.

Shirley struggled through three years of intense pain and numerous unsuccessful therapies before deciding on a full knee replacement surgery. Her search for a quality surgeon led her to John Owens, MD, orthopedic surgeon at Englewood Hospital and Medical Center.

“Shirley is basically a 78-year-old woman going on 20,” says Dr. Owens, who is Chief of Orthopedics at Englewood Hospital. “She’s very active and arthritis was robbing her of her lifestyle. The decision to undergo joint replacement surgery was a quality of life issue for her.”




Shirley had her left knee replaced in November 2005, followed by her right knee in August 2006. During the time between her two surgeries a new replacement was developed—the gender knee.

“Much of the original knee replacement research was based on men’s knees. The gender knee provides a broader spectrum of sizing options for the surgeon,” says Dr. Owens. “It is specially adapted to best replicate the components of a woman’s knee.”

The gender knee has a slimmer profile, and contours to fit the shape of the woman’s joint more closely than the traditional prosthetic.

“I can absolutely tell a difference between my left and right knees,” says Shirley. “The left knee doesn’t hurt, but I know the prosthetic is there—with the gender knee, I don’t feel it at all. I only needed four weeks of therapy after the gender knee compared to the seven weeks I had with my first knee.”

Dr. Owens utilized minimally invasive techniques on both of Shirley’s knee surgeries that resulted in smaller scars—just seven inches long, opposed to the traditional scar of 10 to 12 inches. Smaller incisions limit the amount of muscle tissue cut, resulting in faster recoveries and less pain for the patient. Dr. Owens also used computer-assisted navigation on the gender knee to ensure the optimal angles and location was achieved when inserting the prosthetic.

After completing physical therapy, Shirley now climbs her second floor condo steps with ease and is back to doing all the things she loves, including tennis and camping.

“I can do everything except roller skate—and that’s because they closed the roller rink,” says Shirley. “I’m bicycling and traveling again. Dr. Owens gave me two good knees, and I’m so thankful for that.”