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Mako Robotic-Arm Assisted Surgery for Partial Knee Replacement Restores Active Retiree’s Independence and Mobility

 

partial knee replacement surgery, knee fracture, PKR surgery, lateral knee fracture, knee replacement surgery, Barbara Wilkinson

Barbara Wilkinson is a 77-year-young, busy retired grandmother of six, and great-grandmother of 10. In her leisure, Barbara enjoys playing bingo with her friends and babysitting her great-grandchildren. She’s been happily married to her husband and high school sweetheart, Ken, for nearly 60 years. Barbara credits Ken as being her “rock” after she twisted her right knee while getting into her car, causing her to fracture her kneecap, sustaining a small fracture to the lateral (outside) portion of her kneecap.

Fractured Lateral Knee Injury

Barbara recalls the day of her injury in September 2018. “I went to urgent care and had an x-ray, and the urgent care told me they couldn’t find anything specifically wrong with my knee but suggested I visit my primary care doctor.”

She followed their advice, and through an ultrasound, her primary care doctor confirmed that she needed to see an orthopedic surgeon. Barbara was referred to Brian Gruber, MD, MBA, board certified orthopedic surgeon, by her friend Karen, a patient of Dr. Gruber’s. In November, after struggling to receive a diagnosis, Barbara shared “Dr. Gruber’s friendly staff was able to quickly schedule me an appointment, which I was very thankful for.” After having a CT scan that Dr. Gruber recommend, Barbara initially opted to try cortisone injections. However, wanting a better outcome, she spoke with Dr. Gruber who recommended she consider robotic-assisted partial knee replacement surgery.

Robotic-assisted knee surgery represents the most advanced technology on the market for knee replacement surgery. A robotic-arm is used to guide the physician for precise bone removal and implant placement. Another benefit is that it is minimally-invasive compared to traditional knee replacement surgery with documented speedier recovery and better outcomes.

Mako System Partial Knee Replacement Surgery & Recovery

In December 2018, Barbara had a very successful partial knee replacement surgery. She boasted, “I only had to stay in the hospital for one night and was up and walking the very next day and didn’t need any pain medication afterward.”

Barbara completed four sessions of physical therapy over the course of approximately three weeks. She attributes a large part of her recovery to the fact that she “never stopped moving” after surgery as she tried to “work out” the stiffness. Although Barbara is still recovering, she says she feels 95 percent healed and that she has her full range of motion back. She’s also very happy that she has been able to gain the independence back she’d lost prior to surgery.

Knee Replacement Surgery at Integrated Orthopedics

In the end, Barbara is very grateful for Dr. Gruber and his team. She said, “Dr. Gruber was very nice, gentle and excellent at communicating the next steps in her treatment and care.” She credits Dr. Gruber’s staff at Integrated Orthopedics for being very friendly and accommodating while she was in their office. Furthermore, she said she would refer all her friends and family to Dr. Gruber and that she “wouldn’t have gone anywhere else for orthopedic surgery.”

 

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