Knees for You Guide to Knee Replacement

Thomas Coon, MD, the founder and director of OSI, came to Red Bluff, CA in 2001 from his native Ohio. He underwent formal medical training at the Ohio State University College of Medicine, receiving his Doctor of Medicine degree in 1982. His subsequent Orthopedic Surgery training was at The Medical College of Ohio at Toledo, where he served as resident from 1082 - 1987, and he was certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgeons in 1989. His next 15 years were spent practicing Orthopaedic Surgery in the small town of Bryan, OH, where he developed techniques in small incision hip and knee surgery to allow his patients faster and less painful recovery from these major procedures.

When not teaching or operating, Dr. Coon enjoys spending time with his family, shooting sporting clays, hunting, fishing and playing golf. The on going developments of MIS technology is a continuing process at OSI and we remain committed to the improvement of patient outcomes through innovative combinations of minimally traumatic surgical techniques and advanced pain management.

Dr. Coon uses the MIS procedure which is a treatment option for patients who truly suffer from Osteoarthritis of the knee or hip. Using the newly developed highly specialized instruments, surgeons are able to perform this minimally invasive procedure through a 3 to 5 inch incision as opposed to a 8 to 12 inch incision required for the traditional knee replacement surgery. The MIS procedure only removes the diseased portion of the knee to implant the prosthesis, while leaving the healthy portion untouched.

Clinical research has shown patients that undergo the procedure experience a shorter hospital stay (24 hours or less), minimal blood loss, quicker rehabilitation, a smaller scar and less pain. Some patients are back to an active lifestyle within weeks.

Dr. Coon began his experience with MIS Uni-compartmental Knee Arthoplasty (partial knee replacement) in 2000. He developed and patented instrumentation which allows bone cuts to be made from the side reducing the amount of exposure required for major knee surgery. Serving as a consultant and designing surgeon for Zimmer, Inc. since 2001, Dr. Coon has expanded this work with the development of the MIS Quad-Sparing Total Knee Arthoplasty. Working with an international team of orthopedic experts, he continues to refine the principles of small incision knee surgery and is dedicated to teaching this breakthrough technology to the surgeons of tomorrow.