After a one night hospital stay and a few weeks of physical therapy, Robert McAllister is back on the tennis court—pain free.
Reprinted with permission from HealthBeat, a publication of the John C. Lincoln Health Network
“When it comes to quality of life I feel like I’ve done a complete 180 in the last 10 months,” said Robert McAllister, a part time Valley resident. “I feel so great now that it’s hard to even remember the pain that once took over my life.”
It started a year ago with stiffness and soreness in the 67 year olds’ left knee. The pain put the brakes on physical activities that he enjoyed. “For six months I couldn’t do anything,” he said. “Even walking was painful. I felt old and I was missing out on the things I wanted to do. I didn’t want to be left behind! At that point I realized that I didn’t want to waste any more time.”
After a few months of conservative treatments that gave him little relief, Robert visited Vishal Ganesh, MD, an orthopedic surgeon at John C. Lincoln Deer Valley Hospital. After reviewing Robert’s X-rays, Dr. Ganesh informed him that one compartment of his knee had no cartilage left and was literally bone-on-bone but the other two compartments were perfectly healthy.
“Because he still had normal cartilage and function in his other two knee compartments, Robert was a perfect candidate for a MAKOplasty partial knee resurfacing procedure,” Dr. Ganesh said. “This procedure involves using a robotic arm and 3-D imaging of the knee allowing the implant to be fitted precisely to the damaged section of the knee while leaving the healthy areas untouched.”
Walking the Same Night
Robert had his surgery on a Friday at John C. Lincoln Deer Valley Hospital. He was up and walking the unit using a walker that evening. He stayed one night in the hospital and was released on Saturday afternoon. “I used a walker that weekend and by Monday morning I was walking without any assistance at all. It literally took a weekend; it doesn’t get much easier than that,” he said.
After two weeks of therapy, Robert was walking without a limp and was pain free. Two weeks later he had worked his way up to walking three miles a day. “After seeing the X-rays after the procedure I was completely amazed at the accuracy of the implant and how perfectly it fits,” he said.
The MAKO robot, along with its computer-mapping ability, allows the surgeon to continuously make adjustments within a fraction of a degree during the procedure. Dr. Ganesh said this level of accuracy results in:
A more natural feeling knee
Faster recovery
The potential for the joint to last longer
Robert has no intention of sitting on the sidelines anymore. He’s back to playing tennis, golf, pickleball and everything else his active lifestyle brings his way. “It is absolutely fantastic,” he said. “There’s no doubt that I made the right decision. My only regret is that I didn’t do it sooner!”
For more information please visit JCL.com/mako.
MAKOplasty Fast Facts
10 to 20 percent of knee replacement patients could benefit from MAKOplasty
MAKOplasty’s robotic arm and three-dimensional imaging help the surgeon resurface the diseased part of the bone and align the implant precisely
The incision is four to five inches long
The surgeon also makes small incisions in the femur and tibia
Learn More
Attend one of our free seminars led by orthopedic surgeons specially trained in MAKOplasty proceudres. Visit JCL.com/events for information on upcoming events.