Mako SmartRobotics™ for Total Hip, Total Knee and Partial Knee Replacement
We understand that knowing what to expect from your joint replacement experience is important to you. As you are reading through this material, please reach out to us to discuss if you have additional questions.
Each patient is unique and can experience joint pain for different reasons. It’s important to talk to us about the reason for your hip pain so you can understand the treatment options available to you. Pain from arthritis and joint degeneration can be constant or come and go, occur with movement or after a period of rest, or be located in one spot or many parts of the body. It is common for patients to try medication and other conservative treatments to treat their pain. If you haven’t experienced adequate relief with those treatment options, you may be a candidate for Mako Total Hip, Knee or Partial Knee replacement, which may provide you with relief from your pain.
How SmartRobotics™ Works
Mako SmartRobotics™ is an innovative solution for many suffering from painful arthritis of the hip or knee. Mako uses 3D CT-based planning software so your surgeon can know more about your anatomy to create a personalized joint replacement surgical plan. This 3D model is used to preplan and assist your surgeon in performing your joint replacement.
In the operating room, your surgeon follows your personalized surgical plan while preparing the bone for the implant. The surgeon guides Mako’s robotic arm within the predefined area, and Mako’s AccuStop™ technology helps the surgeon stay within the planned boundaries that were defined when the personalized preoperative plan was created. By guiding your doctor during surgery, Mako’s AccuStop™ technology allows him or her to cut less by cutting precisely what’s planned,1-3 to help protect your healthy bone.4-8
It’s important to understand that the surgery is performed by an orthopedic surgeon, who guides Mako’s robotic arm during the surgery to position the implant in the hip or knee joint. Mako SmartRobotics™ does not perform surgery, make decisions on its own or move without the surgeon guiding it. Mako SmartRobotics™ also allows your surgeon to make adjustments to your plan during surgery as needed.
Total Knee vs. Partial Knee Replacement
Based on the severity of the arthritis in the knee, total or partial knee replacement may be recommended by a surgeon. Both procedures involve the orthopedic surgeon guiding Mako’s robotic arm to remove diseased bone and cartilage.
Image courtesy of Stryker
- Partial knee replacement a treatment option for adults living with early- to mid-stage osteoarthritis that has not yet progressed to all three compartments of the knee. Depending on where the arthritis affects the knee, patients may have an implant inserted in any of the following areas:
- In a unicondylar knee replacement, only one area (or compartment) of the joint is replaced.
- A patellofemoral knee replacement replaces the kneecap (or patella) and the grove at the lower end of the thighbone (or femur).
- A bicompartmental knee replacement affects two compartments of the knee—the inside (medial) and knee cap.
Image courtesy of Stryker
- In comparison, total knee replacement is a treatment option for adults living with mid- to late-stage osteoarthritis of the knee. With a Mako Total Knee replacement, the entire knee joint is replaced, and the surgeon inserts a Triathlon Total Knee implant. With over a decade of clinical history, Triathlon knee replacements are different than traditional knee replacements because they are designed to work with the body to promote natural-like circular motion.9-11
Learn more about partial and total knee replacements.
Total Hip Replacement
SmartRobotics™ for total hip replacement is a surgical procedure intended for patients who suffer from noninflammatory or inflammatory degenerative joint disease (DJD). Some forms of DJD include osteoarthritis, post-traumatic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, avascular necrosis and hip dysplasia.
It’s important to understand that the surgery is performed by an orthpedic surgeon, who guides Mako’s robotic arm during the surgery to position the implant in the hip joint. Mako SmartRobotics™ does not perform surgery, make decisions on its own or move without the surgeon guiding it. Mako SmartRobotics™ also allows your surgeon to make adjustments to your plan during surgery as needed.
Robotic hip replacement is intended for patients who suffer from noninflammatory or inflammatory degenerative joint disease. Some forms of DJD include osteoarthritis, post-traumatic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, avascular necrosis, and hip dysplasia.
Image courtesy of Stryker
Learn more about hip replacement.
Important Information about Total Joint Replacements
Knee and hip replacement is intended for use in individuals with joint disease resulting from degenerative and rheumatoid arthritis, avascular necrosis, fracture of the neck of the femur or functional deformity of the hip. Knee joint replacement is intended for use in individuals with joint disease resulting from degenerative, rheumatoid and post- traumatic arthritis, and for moderate deformity of the knee.
Joint replacement surgery is not appropriate for patients with certain types of infections, any mental or neuromuscular disorder which would create an unacceptable risk of prosthesis instability, prosthesis fixation failure or complications in postoperative care, compromised bone stock, skeletal immaturity, severe instability of the joint, or excessive body weight.
Like any surgery, joint replacement surgery has serious risks which include, but are not limited to, pain, infection, bone fracture, change in the treated leg length (hip), joint stiffness, hip joint fusion, amputation, peripheral neuropathies (nerve damage), circulatory compromise (including deep vein thrombosis (blood clots in the legs), genitourinary disorders (including kidney failure), gastrointestinal disorders (including paralytic ileus [loss of intestinal digestive movement]), vascular disorders (including thrombus (blood clots), blood loss, or changes in blood pressure or heart rhythm), bronchopulmonary disorders (including emboli, stroke or pneumonia), heart attack, and death.
Implant related risks which may lead to a revision of the implant include dislocation, loosening, fracture, nerve damage, heterotopic bone formation (abnormal bone growth in tissue), wear of the implant, metal and/or foreign body sensitivity, soft tissue imbalance, osteolysis (localized progressive bone loss), audible sounds during motion, reaction to particle debris, and reaction to metal ions. Knee and hip implants may not provide the same feel or performance characteristics experienced with a normal healthy joint.
The information presented is for educational purposes only. Speak to your doctor to decide if joint replacement surgery is appropriate for you. Individual results vary and not all patients will return to the same activity level. The lifetime of any joint replacement is limited and depends on several factors like patient weight and activity level. Your doctor will counsel you about strategies to potentially prolong the lifetime of the device, including avoiding high-impact activities, such as running, as well as maintaining a healthy weight. It is important to closely follow your doctor’s instructions regarding post-surgery activity, treatment and follow-up care.
Contact Us
We are centrally located in Tustin on Newport Avenue between the 5 and 55 freeways. For more information about our orthopedics program, call (714) 619-7700.