It’s no secret that as we age, our bodies begin to experience more health problems, and the wear and tear of life takes its toll. Your joints are usually the first parts of your body to indicate signs of old age, with pain and stiffness becoming more frequent and the development of arthritis, especially in the knees and hips. As a remedy, surgeons have been performing knee replacement surgeries for decades now and have gotten pretty good at it. In fact, a National Library of Medicine review found that most total knee replacement surgery studies report 80–100% of post-op patients being satisfied.
During knee replacement surgery, the surgeon removes bone and cartilage damaged by arthritis and replaces them with metal and plastic parts that make up an artificial joint and work just like the patient’s natural knee. As technology has advanced, robotics has been introduced to surgery to increase its success rate. However, no technology is without its flaws. In this blog, we’ll explore both the advantages and disadvantages of robotic knee replacement.
What Is Robotic Knee Replacement?
The difference between knee replacement and robotic knee replacement is that a robot assists the operating surgeon by increasing accuracy and precision. The robot can feed the surgeon information and reports on the patient based on previous scans, like X-rays and MRIs, and real-time photos from a camera.
The robot assists the surgeon with making surgical bone cuts and positioning the new joint. They’re especially helpful if the surgery requires working around screws or hardware from previous surgeries. With robotic knee replacement, the surgeon can usually leave the old hardware in place, and the robot helps the surgeon safely install the new hardware, helping reduce the amount of time the patient is in surgery.
When there’s no robot assisting the surgeon during knee replacement, they use their skill and years of training to determine where to cut and how much bone and cartilage to remove.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Robotic Knee Replacement
Like we said, no technology is perfect. So, what are the advantages and disadvantages of robotic knee replacement? Let’s start with the positives!
Advantages
- Robotic assistance enhances the surgeon’s precision and accuracy when cutting, removing bone and cartilage, and placing the implant.
- Some robotic systems enable the surgeon to tailor the replacement for the patient’s specific anatomy, resulting in a better, more natural-feeling fit.
- Some patients experience shorter recovery times due to less tissue damage, with some experiencing a 50% reduction in the time it takes them to get back to normal activities.
- Reduced surgery time lowers the risk of complications, infections, and post-surgery pain.
- Faster healing means patients spend less time in the hospital, which lowers their hospital bill.
Disadvantages
- Robotic knee replacement is more expensive, sometimes by thousands of dollars, than traditional knee replacement.
- Not every hospital and medical center has access to robotic knee replacement.
- Not every surgeon is trained and experienced with robotic knee replacement.
- It also has the same risks as traditional knee replacement, including ongoing knee pain, stiffness, infection, and the implant not working correctly.
Have Your Robotic Knee Replacement Questions Answered at RMC
Whether you’re experiencing knee pain due to injury, overuse, or arthritis, our experienced orthopaedic surgeons can help find the right treatment plan for you! If you’ve tried more conservative treatment methods that didn’t work out, robotic joint replacement could help restore your quality of life.
Here at RMC, our surgeons have access to the state-of-the-art Mako Robotic-Arm Assisted Technology to provide you with a personalized surgical plan based on your unique anatomy. Get in touch today for the guidance and support you need to determine if robotic joint replacement is the right choice for you!