What is causing my hip or knee pain?
Arthritis is the breakdown of the cartilage between joints and is one of the most common reasons for chronic hip and knee pain. As this cartilage cushion between the bones of the joint wears down, the bones rub against each other causing pain.
Unfortunately, there is no cure for arthritis, but there are many different treatment options to address the pain. Over time as arthritis progresses and the pain becomes more severe, replacement surgery may be the best option for relief.
Robotic Joint Replacement
With the goal of providing relief from arthritis, injuries, and other conditions that cause joint pain, Penn Orthopaedics offers robotic-assisted total hip replacements, as well as total and partial knee replacements.
Your orthopaedic surgeon will work with you to determine whether you are a candidate for robotic-assisted joint replacement surgery based on your lifestyle, goals, and unique anatomy.
Robotic Total Hip Replacement
Your hip’s distinct features—and its anomalies—can be subtle. A fraction of an inch can be the difference between a healthy joint and one that triggers pain and immobility.
If you are experiencing chronic, degenerative arthritis in multiple areas of the hip that is preventing you from doing moderate, everyday activities such as walking without pain, you may be a candidate for robotic total hip replacement.
Robotic total hip replacement provides multiple advantages over traditional hip replacement surgery for those who are candidates. Data shoes that patients who receive robotic surgery have a decreased risk of hip dislocation, which may be attributed to the ability to plan the procedure using a personalized 3D model tailored to the individual’s anatomy, resulting in a more accurate placement and alignment of components.
Robotic Total Knee Replacement
If an injury, arthritis, or another condition disrupts your knee’s bones, ligaments, cartilage, muscles, or nerves, you may need knee replacement surgery.
Robotic total knee replacements are ideal for even the most complex knee joint disease, including patients who have deformities in the femur after an injury, complex degeneration, and/or hardware from previous surgeries.
Like robotic total hip replacement candidates, robotic total knee replacement candidates also experience chronic, degenerative arthritis in multiple areas. Pain inhibits these patients from everyday activities.
Robotic Partial Knee Replacement
For some patients with severe knee pain caused by arthritis, partial knee replacement is a possible alternative to total knee replacement. Partial knee replacement involves only replacing the damaged portion of the knee – resulting in less pain, smaller incisions, and quicker rehab.
For eligibility for partial knee replacement, patients should have early to mid-stage arthritis, damage to only one part of the joint, good range of motion and stability, and no significant joint deformity or ligamentous instability.
What are the benefits of robotic hip and knee replacement surgery?
Robotic surgical systems offer advanced technology that is used to support the surgeon during an operation. This allows us to provide our hip and knee replacement patients precision that surpasses the human eye and helps surgeons further tailor their procedures to the unique needs of a person’s anatomy, leading to increased precision and accuracy, optimal alignment, and optimal recovery after surgery.
Surgery Tailored to Your Anatomy
Robotic joint replacement surgery at Penn Orthopaedics begins with advanced mapping of the damaged joint using advanced planning software, which allows the surgeon to prepare and tailor the procedure to each patient. The software creates a joint map and relays precise information about your joint to the robotic surgical tool used by the surgeon during the procedure.
By collecting patient-specific information, boundaries are established for the robotic tool so the surgeon can remove just the damaged area, balance your joint, and position the implant with optimal precision.
Enhanced Precision for Enhanced Results
With the help of the advanced imaging and guidance of robotic surgical systems, Penn surgeons are able to perform hip and knee replacements with even greater accuracy and precision. This enhanced precision can help to improve the function and potential longevity of the implant.
Less Pain, Smaller Incisions, Quicker Rehab
These benefits are primarily due to the preservation of healthy tissue and bone and the minimal invasiveness of the procedure.