Device-length changes and implant function following surgical implantation of the KineSpring in cadaver knees

Introduction

The KineSpring implant system has been shown to provide load reductions at the medial compartment of the knee, and has demonstrated clinical success in reducing pain and increasing function in patients with medial knee osteoarthritis. These results depend on the ability of the KineSpring to rotate, lengthen, and shorten to accommodate knee motions, and in response to knee position and loading.

Purpose

The present study was undertaken to determine length changes of the implanted KineSpring in response to a range of knee positions, external knee loads, and placements by different orthopedic surgeons.

Materials and methods

KineSpring system components were implanted in ten cadaver leg specimens by ten orthopedic surgeons, and absorber-length changes were measured under combined loading and in different positions of the knee.

Results and conclusion

Spring compression consistent with knee-load reduction, and device lengthening and shortening to accommodate knee loads and motions were seen. These confirm the functionality of the KineSpring when implanted medially to the knee.

The KineSpring(®) Knee Implant System: an implantable joint-unloading prosthesis for treatment of medial knee osteoarthritis

Symptomatic medial compartment knee osteoarthritis (OA) is the leading cause of musculoskeletal pain and disability in adults. Therapies intended to unload the medial knee compartment have yielded unsatisfactory results due to low patient compliance with conservative treatments and high complication rates with surgical options. There is no widely available joint-unloading treatment for medial knee OA that offers clinically important symptom alleviation, low complication risk, and high patient acceptance. The KineSpring^® Knee Implant System (Moximed, Inc, Hayward, CA, USA) is a first-of-its-kind, implantable, extra-articular, extra-capsular prosthesis intended to alleviate knee OA-related symptoms by reducing medial knee compartment loading while overcoming the limitations of traditional joint-unloading therapies. Preclinical and clinical studies have demonstrated excellent prosthesis durability, substantial reductions in medial compartment and total joint loads, and clinically important improvements in OA-related pain and function. The purpose of this report is to describe the KineSpring System, including implant characteristics, principles of operation, indications for use, patient selection criteria, surgical technique, postoperative care, preclinical testing, and clinical experience. The KineSpring System has potential to bridge the gap between ineffective conservative treatments and irreversible surgical interventions for medial compartment knee OA.