Knee replacement surgery typically takes months of recovery and rehabilitation but with the use of robotic technology, 57-year-old Albert Abdemur from Roselle Park is back to dancing just three months after a partial knee replacement.
“I’m a big salsa dancer,” says Albert. “I have a big social group that I hang around with on weekends. So whatever music is playing, pop, rock or Latin, I’m dancing.”
Faster Recovery
People suffering from osteoarthritis (OA) in the knee can quickly get back on track with the help of the Mako Robotic-Arm Assisted Surgery System, which allows surgeons to perform minimally invasive partial knee replacements with greater precision. “The key for successful partial knee replacement is accuracy of the alignment of the implants,” says orthopedic surgeon Jeffrey Leary, MD. “In the historic way of doing this procedure, we used alignment guides to pick the center of the knee and ankle to determine where you would make your cut to take the bone out and place the implant.”
The Mako Technology allows surgeons to create a 3-D model of the knee based on CT scan images. “We digitally superimpose the patient’s knee into the computer program, and the robotic software determines the exact alignment for where the implants need to be placed.”
Not for Everyone
The knee consists of three parts, including the medial (inner) part, the lateral (outer) part, and the anterior, or the patella-femoral part under the kneecap. “This procedure is used for patients who have only damaged part of their knee rather than the whole knee or whose arthritis hasn’t progressed to the point that it’s damaged the cartilage globally across the knee.”
With the use of Mako, patients have reduced pain, minimal hospitalization and more rapid recovery. Albert, an operating room nurse, recently went back to work. “I’m scrubbing and circulating every day,” he says. “The new knee is much more comfortable, and I’m able to work like normal again.”