Robotic Assisted Joint Replacement
The pain and stiffness of osteoarthritis and other joint problems can interfere with your everyday activities, favorite hobbies, and significantly decrease your quality of life. While injections, physical therapy, and other non-surgical treatments can help reduce pain and improve mobility, total joint replacement surgery is sometimes necessary to provide a long-term solution and relief.
Joints are complex structures, consisting of bones, cartilage, and other tissues that work together to allow you to move your appendages. The knee is the largest joint of the body and it is especially complex. Because your knees support a significant amount of body weight and have a limited range of motion, the knee joints are prone to injuries.
Due to the complexity of the joint, knee replacement surgery requires precision. This is especially true when it comes to creating a replacement joint that is the exact same size and shape as the original. Precision is also important for properly positioning the implant. Precise measurement tools allow surgeons to plan and perform a knee replacement in ways that will improve a patient’s range of motion, stability, and joint function.
At Valley Orthopaedic Specialists, our orthopaedic specialists offer robotic-assisted joint replacement surgery. This is a new approach to joint replacement that provides a higher level of precision, reproducibility of the original joint, and exact alignment and positioning.
Our expert joint replacement doctors and orthopaedic specialists provide the highest quality care possible, using the most advanced techniques available. This includes the MAKO system, a physician-controlled system that allows for accurate alignment and placement of implants. The system uses a pre-operative CT scan to create an accurate 3-dimensional (3D) computerized model of the diseased joint.
Our surgeons then use this model to evaluate the bone structure, severity of disease, joint alignment, and even the surrounding bone and tissue. This information helps our surgeons determine the optimal size, placement, and alignment of the implant based on the individual patient. Surgeons then guide the robotic arm (with acute accuracy) to shape the bone and precisely place the implant.
Benefits of Robotic Assisted Joint Replacement
Robotic assisted joint replacement provides several benefits over traditional joint replacement techniques. Some of these benefits include:
- Provides versatility – Robotic assisted joint replacement can be used for partial or total knee replacements
- The ability to create a personalized surgical plan
- Gives surgeons real-time sensory feedback that helps optimize outcomes
- Puts the surgeon in complete control over the procedure
- Helps to ensure the proper preparation of the bone
- Allows for precise placement of the implant
- Produces minimal blood loss during the procedure and a much smaller scar
- Preserves healthy bone and soft tissue
- Less post-operative pain than manual techniques
- Quicker recovery and a shorter hospital stay compared with other surgical approaches to joint replacement
While robotic assisted joint replacement surgery is not for everyone, a growing number of patients are choosing this procedure over traditional methods. If you have any of the following conditions, consult with your doctor to decide if robotic assisted joint replacement surgery is for you:
- Osteoarthritis
- Knee pain or stiffness with activity or when you get up from a sitting position
- Inadequate response to anti-inflammatory medication or other non-surgical treatments
For more information about robotic assisted joint replacement, contact Valley Orthopaedic Specialists.