It’s a new era for knee replacements and other joint surgeries

MANKATO, Minnesota — Not so long ago, undergoing a total hip or knee replacement and recovery was a grueling and often painful ordeal. While these are still major surgeries, new techniques and technologies are redefining them — and improving people's outcomes, explains Dr. Brandon Bukowski, an orthopedic surgeon at the Mayo Clinic Health System in Mankato. 

"Robotic-assisted joint replacement technology has revolutionized hip and knee surgeries," Dr. Bukowski says.  

This technology allows the surgeon to: 

• Perform enhanced, three-dimensional preoperative planning and modeling to ensure there's no impingement or pinching of tissues, and to refine implant sizing and positioning for a high degree of accuracy. 

• Prepare the bone and insert the implants with an unprecedented level of precision. 

• Produce personalized, patient-specific joint replacements.   

"In addition, major advances have been made in anesthesia used for total joint replacement surgery in the past decade," Dr. Bukowski adds. "With these advances, patients recover more quickly and get up and move sooner after surgery." 

Another rapidly advancing technology in orthopedic surgery is 3D printing, which allows the designing and creation of custom implants to address challenging problems, including deformities, bone loss, and unusual hip or knee anatomy.  

This promising technology needs more long-term data before it becomes widely used. Mayo Clinic is at the forefront of 3D printing and has been integral in advancing its clinical applications. 

Hip replacements  

"Any patient who is a candidate for a "conventional" total hip replacement is a candidate for a robotic-assisted total hip replacement," Dr. Bukowski says. "Hip replacements are no longer a one-technique-fits-all approach. With a "360 degree" approach, your surgeon can tailor the surgery to you, choosing from direct anterior, posterior or anterolateral approaches."  

When it comes to recovery and rehabilitation: 

• For most patients, total hip replacement surgery is either a same-day surgery or a one-night hospital stay. 

• Patients can walk and navigate stairs right after surgery. 

• The majority of patients will follow a self-directed physical therapy plan at home — no need to go to an outpatient physical therapy facility. 

Knee replacements 

"As with hip replacements, any patient who is a candidate for a conventional total knee replacement is a candidate for robotic-assisted total knee replacement," Dr. Bukowski says.  

Like hip replacements, total knee replacements typically are same-day surgeries or may involve a one-night hospital stay, with patients walking and navigating stairs after surgery. For best results with strength and range of motion, patients work on daily exercises at home to supplement physical therapy sessions at an outpatient facility. 

"The excellent news for total hip and knee replacement patients is that the techniques and technologies for these surgeries continue to evolve," Dr. Bukowski says. "They have the primary goals of reducing pain, enhancing function, and getting patients back to their day-to-day activities and those they love to do. 

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Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to innovation in clinical practice, education and research, and providing compassion, expertise and answers to everyone who needs healing. Visit the Mayo Clinic News Network for additional Mayo Clinic news. 

Media contact: 

• Sharon Theimer, Mayo Clinic Communications, newsbureau@mayo.edu