Innovative surgical technique speeds patient recovery and reduces post-operative pain
As Baby Boomers are getting older–but aren’t necessarily slowing down–total knee replacement surgery is becoming more and more common. Each year in the U.S., nearly 300,000 patients undergo the procedure, and experts say that number is growing because life expectancy is going up and people are remaining physically active longer than did previous generations.
Unfortunately, total knee replacement surgery typically knocks patients off their stride for months due to its invasive nature. But one local surgeon is attempting to break with this tradition by using a remarkable new technique that reduces the length of the surgical incision by as much as 70-percent.
“Patients benefit tremendously from this brand new mini-incision surgery,” explains Dr. Robert Richards of Orthopaedic Associates here in Chambersburg, “A smaller incision means less trauma to soft tissue–that means there’s less post-operative pain and a faster return to physical activity. It gets them back on their feet much more quickly.”
Dr. Richards uses a new set of surgical instruments recently developed by British medical device manufacturer Smith & Nephew, and he is among an elite group of surgeons in the nation who are performing this mini-incision technique.
During knee replacement surgery, the surgeon removes the top portion of the tibia, replacing it with a metal platform and a piece of plastic that replaces the knee’s cartilage. He also removes the arthritic layer of bone at the bottom tip of the femur, replacing it with a tough metal component. This metal component moves against the plastic piece to restore the now pain-free artificial joint to physical activity.
In traditional knee surgery, the incision is between eight and ten inches long. Using the new technique, Dr. Richards is able to perform the operation through an incision as small as three and a half inches.
“There are obvious cosmetic advantages to a smaller incision,” says Dr. Richards. “But as a surgeon, I like the fact that my patients are able to reclaim their physically active lives so much faster than expected. I believe this will eventually be the standard of care in orthopedic medicine, and it’s nice to be able to bring this advanced surgery to local patients now.”
