Better KneesHOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. (Ivanhoe Broadcast News) -- You wouldn't know it, but six weeks ago, 59-year-old Ellyn Shepard suffered from terrible knee pain. Now, she happily baby sits her granddaughter, thanks to a new knee implant recently approved by the FDA as an alternative to partial or total knee replacement.

"The surgery was amazing! Just amazing! I couldn't get over how quickly I felt better," Shepard says.

Better KneesThe new metallic implant is called the OrthoGlide. It's inserted within the knee joint to replace some of the cartilage function lost to osteoarthritis. The procedure requires significantly less tissue and no bone removal like other replacement options.

"We are trying to maintain their natural knee as long as possible. And although we don't know yet if we'll be able to totally avoid a knee replacement, things are looking very positive with our early results," Dave Trotter, M.D., an Orthopaedic surgeon at Center for Sports Orthopaedics in Hoffman Estates, Ill., tells Ivanhoe.

Better KneesPatients report much quicker recovery times with less physical therapy than a partial or total knee replacement. They also experience pain relief and a good range of motion after undergoing the hour-long procedure.

Dr. Trotter was one of the initial investigators of the implant and has performed more than 50 surgeries. He says it's still too early to know how long the implant will last. The implant is not for people who have osteoarthritis in all three compartments of the knee -- they will probably need a total knee replacement.