Stresses in Femoral Knee Component: Effects of Patellofemoral Loading Location and Magnitude

For many years, orthopaedic surgeons have reported anatomical differences in men’s and women’s knees [1–4]. For a given anterior/posterior dimension, the female femur is narrower in the medial/lateral dimension than the male femur [5]. A female knee has a larger trochlear groove angle [4] and has a less-pronounced anterior condyle [1]. Gender Solutions™ Female (GSF) femoral implants are designed to accommodate these differences by replacing the bone resection with the joint of corresponding size and shape to avoid overstuffing and overhang that may increase pain [6, 7]. The GSF femur designs are narrowed mediolaterally, have increased trochlear groove angle and reduced anterior flange thickness.