The patients suffering from severe knee pain caused by arthritis, robotic assisted knee replacements may be able to offer pain relief with shorter recovery times and long lasting results. Dr. Madan Mohan Reddy, Sr. consultant Orthopedic Surgeon & Robotic Knee Replacement Surgeon, Apollo Hospitals, Chennai, said, the success rate in conventional knee replacement surgery is about 90- 95% but with robotic assisted surgeries the accuracy is 100%. If the patient is a candidate for Total Knee Replacement (TKR), he/she is a good candidate for rTKR. Depending on the condition, medical professionals recommend less invasive treatments first.(i) Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), (ii) Life style modifications including weight loss and exercises, (iii) Intra-articular shots, (iv) Physical therapy and knee braces – If the patient is not able to get relief from these conservative treatment methods TKR may be the answer for the problem. Traditional TKR implants may last for 20-25 years and traditional TKR is difficult to recommend for the people below 60 years. New procedures like rTKR are starting to change that. More accurate implant positioning means more and more younger patients may safely undergo TKR and get back to living and active life style, Dr Reddy opined.
A common misconception about rTKR is that whole surgery is performed by robot, but it is simply not the case. Dr Reddy assured that the procedure is done by the surgeon and assisted by robotic arm and surgeon is still in control. Technology assists the procedure in other ways too. This allows surgeons to more accurately place the implants. With conventional TKR, surgeons allow the patient to resume the normal activities after two weeks. TKR techniques potentially cut this recovery time. rTKR patients can be discharged from the hospital on same day. In a conventional knee replacement surgery, some amount of soft tissue release and/or sacrifice is needed. While this doesn’t impact pain after surgery, it can impact how an artificial knee feels after recovery. Soft tissue-sparing knee replacements are recommended for patients who are highly active. With robotic assisted TKR ligaments and soft tissues are spared maximum.
Dr Reddy cautioned that one should choose orthopedic surgeon who has completed high volume of surgeries with good outcomes. State of the art robotic instruments have the potential to improve outcomes for the patients. Because rTKR techniques allow for greater precision, surgeons can customize knee replacements for each patient’s anatomy.
