Butler Memorial Hospital now offers women a better option in knee replacement surgery.

It is the first provider in Butler County to offer the new Zimmer Gender Solutions Knee Replacement technology designed specifically for women's unique needs.

"Because there are specific gender differences between men and women it is wonderful to have a knee replacement design specifically to support a woman's body," said BMH orthopedic surgeon Dr. Thomas Muzzonigro of Tri-Rivers Orthopedic Associates. "I have already implanted 30 of these knees at BMH and I am very happy with the results."

Women have about 60 percent of all knee replacement cases. A woman's knee anatomy is different from a man's in the ratio between the width and height of the femur, the angle of the femur in relation to the tibia, and a less prominent anterior surface of the femur, among several other differences.

The ligaments supporting the knee also tend to be more lax in women than in men.

Zimmer, a world leader in orthopaedic design, manufacturing and marketing, has specifically designed the Gender Solutions Knee implant for women, distinguishing its system from those which are merely downsized versions of existing designs.

The design of this implant is based on anatomical studies of the differences between men and women allowing doctors to more closely match components to each patient.

The implant's goals include alleviating knee pain and restoring mobility, while offering fit and function that is optimized for the characteristics more commonly seen in female patients.

Nearly two-thirds of the more than 400,000 annual knee replacement patients are women, according to the National Center for Health Statistics, and the numbers continue to increase each year.

Research shows that while both women and men vastly under use knee replacement, women are three times less likely than men to undergo the procedure.