We advance a compartmentalized, personalized, and tissue-sparing approach to knee arthroplasty — through world-class education, collaboration, and surgeon leadership dedicated to expanding the appropriate use of partial knee replacement.
“Every patient deserves the right operation — not simply the most common one.”
Advance your practice through world-class education, mentorship, and a professional home for surgeons committed to knee-preserving arthroplasty — from fellows to established practitioners.
Explore the AllianceUnderstand your options for personalized, tissue-sparing knee care, and learn why the right operation for your knee may not be the most common one.
Understand Your OptionsThe founding document of The Partial Knee Alliance — the mission, vision, values, and manifesto that define Preservation First Arthroplasty, and the strategic plan that will carry it forward.
The Partial Knee Alliance is a surgeon-led, patient-centered organization dedicated to advancing education, inspiring collaboration, and leading the Preservation First Arthroplasty movement to expand the appropriate utilization of partial knee replacement.
To establish Preservation First Arthroplasty as a gold standard in knee care.
We believe in a compartmentalized approach to knee arthroplasty — one that is personalized and tissue sparing.
The Partial Knee Alliance is a surgeon-led movement dedicated to transforming knee care through Preservation First Arthroplasty. Through education, collaboration, and surgeon leadership, we are committed to advancing Preservation First Arthroplasty as a gold standard in knee care while expanding the appropriate utilization of partial knee replacement.
The Partial Knee Alliance was founded by surgeons dedicated to advancing knee-preserving arthroplasty and expanding the appropriate use of partial knee replacement.
Columbia Orthopaedic Group
Columbia, MO
Anderson Orthopaedic Clinic
Alexandria, VA
Plano Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Center
Plano, TX
Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush
Chicago, IL
Mount Sinai Hospital
New York, NY
Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush
Chicago, IL
Rothman Orthopaedic Institute
Philadelphia, PA
West Virginia University
Morgantown, WV
OrthoTexas
Carrollton, TX
NYP Columbia University Medical Center
New York, NY
Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush
Chicago, IL
Kamath Orthopaedics, OrthoNJ
New Jersey, NJ
Michigan Orthopaedic Surgeons
Troy, MI
Baptist Health South Florida
Miami, FL
JIS Orthopaedics
New Albany, OH
Rothman Orthopaedic Institute
Philadelphia, PA
Hospital for Special Surgery
New York, NY
Bone and Joint Institute
Nashville, TN
Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Center
St. Joseph, MO
Hospital for Special Surgery - Florida
West Palm Beach, FL
Sah Orthopaedic Associates
Fremont, CA
Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Boston, MA
We believe knee arthroplasty should be compartmentalized, personalized, and tissue preserving. The healthiest knee structures should be respected, preserved, and replaced only when disease makes it necessary.
We believe surgeons have a responsibility to continually challenge convention, embrace evidence, and pursue better solutions for the patients they serve. Progress begins with education, grows through collaboration, and is sustained by surgeon leadership.
We believe Preservation First Arthroplasty is more than a surgical technique. It is a philosophy that places the patient above procedure, values thoughtful decision-making over routine practice, and recognizes that preserving more of the patient’s own knee is often the greater achievement.
We envision a future in which every patient with knee arthritis is thoughtfully evaluated for the most appropriate treatment, every surgeon has access to world-class education, and every clinical decision begins with preserving healthy anatomy whenever possible.
The Partial Knee Alliance exists to unite surgeons around this shared purpose. Together, we will educate, collaborate, innovate, and advocate for a future where Preservation First Arthroplasty is a gold standard in knee care and the appropriate utilization of partial knee replacement continues to expand.
This is our commitment. This is our responsibility.
This is Preservation First Arthroplasty.
Patients are at the heart of every decision we make. We are committed to improving lives through individualized, evidence-based care that prioritizes long-term function and quality of life.
The advancement of knee preservation should be guided by practicing surgeons. We believe those who care for patients every day are best positioned to educate, innovate, and shape the future of our specialty.
We believe preserving healthy anatomy whenever appropriate leads to better patient care. This philosophy guides our educational initiatives, clinical recommendations, and advocacy.
Education is the foundation of progress. We are committed to delivering independent, evidence-based education that advances surgical judgment, technical excellence, and patient care.
Meaningful progress happens when we work together. We foster an environment of respect, mentorship, and partnership among surgeons, healthcare professionals, industry, and patients to accelerate learning and improve care.
Advance surgeon knowledge, judgment, and technical excellence through world-class education.
Champion Preservation First Arthroplasty and increase awareness of the appropriate utilization of partial knee replacement among surgeons, patients, healthcare systems, and policymakers.
Build a global community of surgeons, educators, healthcare professionals, and strategic partners committed to advancing Preservation First Arthroplasty.
Advance technologies, techniques, and clinical solutions that support a compartmentalized, personalized, and tissue-preserving approach to knee arthroplasty.
The Partial Knee Alliance is launching with a growing presence across social media and other digital platforms to increase awareness of partial knee replacement among both patients and surgeons.
Our educational platform is a work in progress, with the long-term goal of creating meaningful opportunities for surgeon education, collaboration, and mentorship.
Our goal is to build a surgeon-led community that helps expand knowledge, confidence, and appropriate utilization of partial knee replacement.
The future of Preservation First Arthroplasty depends on the surgeons we train today.
A central opportunity for the Alliance is to engage fellows and early-career arthroplasty surgeons at the point when their practice patterns, technical skill sets, and professional identities are still developing. Partial knee replacement should not be viewed as an alternative procedure, but as an essential component of a complete knee arthroplasty practice — one in which treatment is matched to the individual pattern of disease and native structures are preserved whenever appropriate.
To make expertise in partial knee replacement an expected and valued component of contemporary arthroplasty training, and to develop a new generation of surgeons committed to the Preservation First Arthroplasty philosophy.
For fellows and surgeons early in practice, developing this expertise builds a more comprehensive knee arthroplasty skill set, establishes sound surgical judgment and technical proficiency early in their careers, and creates meaningful professional differentiation for the surgeons who develop it, the practices they build, and the communities they serve.
PKA aims to become a professional home for surgeons developing expertise in knee-preserving arthroplasty, taking an active role in the education and mentorship that guide surgeons throughout their careers.
PKA will strive to create a generation of arthroplasty surgeons who do not think of themselves as “partial knee surgeons” or “total knee surgeons,” but as surgeons capable of providing the most appropriate reconstruction for each individual patient. The long-term measure of success is not simply increased partial knee utilization — it is a change in how the next generation thinks about knee arthroplasty.
From procedure first to patient first.
From replacement first to Preservation First.
The Partial Knee Alliance exists to lead the Preservation First Arthroplasty movement by advancing education, fostering collaboration, and empowering surgeons to advance Preservation First Arthroplasty as a gold standard in knee care while expanding the appropriate utilization of partial knee replacement.
Establish the Alliance as a trusted, surgeon-led organization with a clear identity, strong governance, and a unified philosophy centered on Preservation First Arthroplasty.
The Alliance is recognized as a credible, surgeon-led organization committed to advancing Preservation First Arthroplasty.
Expand the Alliance into a thriving global network united by a shared philosophy of patient-centered, compartmentalized knee arthroplasty.
The Alliance becomes the leading community for surgeons committed to knee preservation.
Become the premier educational resource for Preservation First Arthroplasty.
The Alliance is recognized as a leading educational authority in Preservation First Arthroplasty.
Influence the future of knee arthroplasty by advancing education, innovation, and advocacy while promoting a compartmentalized, personalized, and tissue-preserving approach to care.
Preservation First Arthroplasty becomes a defining philosophy and gold standard in modern knee arthroplasty.
Knee arthritis does not always affect the entire joint. In many patients, the damage is concentrated in just one compartment of the knee.
A partial knee replacement resurfaces only the arthritic portion of the joint. The unaffected compartments are left intact.
Importantly, the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is preserved — fundamentally different from a total knee replacement, which resurfaces all three compartments and removes the ACL.
The ACL is preserved and the healthy compartments are left intact, maintaining the knee’s natural anatomy and mechanics.
All three compartments are replaced and the ACL is removed — the standard approach when arthritis is widespread throughout the knee.
The ACL is an important stabilizing ligament that helps control the knee during walking, turning, stairs, and other everyday activities. It also contributes to the knee’s natural movement and sense of position.
By preserving the ACL and the unaffected portions of the joint, a partial knee replacement can maintain more of the knee’s normal anatomy and mechanics. For many patients, this can translate into a knee that moves and feels more natural after recovery.
Partial knee replacement is most appropriate when arthritis is isolated primarily to one compartment of the knee and the remaining portions of the joint are healthy.
An evaluation typically considers where the arthritis is located, whether the ACL is functioning properly, the condition of the other knee compartments, knee alignment and stability, and the location and pattern of the patient’s symptoms.
Age alone does not determine whether someone is a candidate. The pattern of arthritis and the condition of the knee are more important.
Partial knee replacement represents only a minority of knee replacement procedures performed today. Some patients with isolated arthritis may never be told they are potential candidates, and surgeon experience and comfort with the procedure can also influence whether it is offered.
One of the goals of the Partial Knee Alliance is to improve awareness so that appropriate patients understand all of their knee replacement options.
For appropriately selected patients, partial knee replacement may offer several advantages:
Preservation of the ACL
More normal knee movement and stability
Preservation of healthy bone, cartilage, and ligaments
A more natural-feeling knee
Faster early recovery
Less blood loss and surgical trauma
Greater postoperative range of motion
Lower risk of certain medical complications
“The goal is not simply to perform a smaller operation. It is to treat the diseased portion of the knee while maintaining as much of the patient’s normal knee anatomy and function as possible.”
Surgeons, educators, and partners committed to knee preservation are welcome.
Contact The Alliance