For people with knee injuries involving a tear in the meniscus, surgery seems to be the best solution, but it does not alleviate the pain. A new meniscus replacement, called the NUsurface Meniscus Implant, recently given to a man from Boston shows promise and could solve the problem of persistent pain.
Rob Price has suffered from pain every day since he tore his meniscus during a basketball game with friends.
"Pain every day," Price told WCVB. "Without the meniscus, I have bone on bone."
The meniscus acts like a shock absorber on the knee, and it normally deteriorates as one ages. When it gets torn, every step becomes painful because there's nothing to cushion the impact of the knee bones.
Price became the first man in New England to be given the implant, which is still awaiting approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The procedure, performed by orthopedic surgeon Dr. Andreas Gomoll at Brigham and Women's Hospital, drew attention online.
The implant is inserted between the knee bones and does not require screws to hold it in place.
"It has a pretty complex shape that conforms to the shape of the knee joint," Gomoll told WCVB. "You don't have to cut bone, you don't have to permanently alter the anatomy of the knee joint itself."
Because of this, recovery time is relatively shorter, taking only about two to three months.
"There was nothing really like this before," Gomoll said, according to The Boston Globe.
Price is hopeful that the new implant will end his suffering.
"Hopefully this will make everything better," Price said. "I hope it works well for me and it gives other people the same opportunity."
