“Just Life” is Better After Knee Replacement Surgery

Anthony Menkel had been hobbling around for a couple of years and finally concluded he needed to get serious about the problem!

He didn’t even think twice about choosing Dr. Gruber. Family members in Scottsdale had been singing praises about Dr. Gruber, who had previously performed shoulder surgery on his brother-in-law. “There was no question that Dr. Gruber would do the surgery,” Anthony, a real estate broker who lives on one of New York’s Thousand Islands, says.

Highly Skilled Practice Staff is a Fine-Tuned Organization

Dr. Gruber performed successful Mako Robotic Arm-Assisted knee replacement surgery that replaced Anthony’s entire left knee in early November 2019. The Mako robotic arm is a highly sophisticated tool that helps surgeons position implants with a higher degree of accuracy. It’s also helped speed up patient recovery and mobility.

Only surgeons like Dr. Gruber who have successfully completed training to use the Mako System arm are permitted to use it for total and partial knee replacement.

Four weeks later, Anthony marveled over how smooth the entire process has been. “I’m walking up and down stairs and a mile at a time.”

Dr. Gruber’s practice is a one-stop shop, he added. From arranging the surgery to the pre-op services and two post-op office visits with Dr. Gruber, everyone on the staff was excellent. “I can’t say enough about the staff,” including the superb care he received during his brief hospital stay. The practice itself is a “finely-tuned organization with highly skilled personnel…I would recommend this practice to anybody. Any time I have a question, I have a direct line to Dr. Gruber.”

This is really the essence of the approach Integrated Orthopedics embraces. The patient care experience is a truly integrated process from diagnosis through recovery. It’s one reason why Anthony’s brother-in-law urged him to visit the practice for a consultation – and why Anthony traveled, literally, across the country for his knee replacement surgery choosing Dr. Gruber over surgeons in his own part of the country.

“I Never Thought I’d Look Forward to Physical Therapy!”

Physical therapy turned out to be one of the biggest surprises. “I never thought I’d look forward to PT,” Anthony says, “but the PT staff were top-notch. They know what they’re doing, from the physical therapists to the technicians – they’re all great to work with!”

Most patients go into PT knowing it will be hard work, but Anthony was pleasantly surprised to discover an environment that’s “inspirational and motivational.” Between Dr. Gruber’s encouragement and surgical skill and the physical therapy team’s positive attitudes, he is determined to continue practicing the exercises in the coming months after he completes PT with the Integrated Orthopedics team.

“Ready to Return” To Work Sooner Than Expected

Anthony was back to showing Thousand Island real estate just weeks following his surgery. “It was so much sooner than I thought, and recovery was a lot faster than what everyone here told me,” he says.

“I show some of the most beautiful real estate on the planet up in New York’s Thousand Islands,” he remarks. When the ice melts in the spring, “I’ll be more than ready and thrilled to be back in the boat taking people up and down the St. Lawrence River.”