HealthAug15

BODY WORKS ••••
Advances in Technology Ensure the Best Benefits
of Hip and Knee Replacement Surgery
Written and Photographed by Maggie FitzRoy
Jay Sullenger of South Bend, Indiana,
injured his right knee in the mid-
1970s. It still pains him so he wears a
knee stabilizer brace, which he wore
to THE PLAYERS Championship in
Ponte Vedra Beach in May.
One day during the week, Sullenger
took a break from watching the competing
golfers out on TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course to
visit with THE PLAYERS 2005 champion, Fred
Funk, in the Stadium Village.
Funk had a total knee replacement in
2009, and was there representing the Stryker
Corporation, which specializes in knee and hip
replacement systems. Funk tore the cartilage in
his right knee several times in his life, leading
to osteoarthritis and debilitating pain. He’d
resisted replacement surgery for years, but now
encourages people who need it not to wait —
because he is now pain free in that knee. In
fact, he was up and walking on it within hours
after his surgery.
“I think you get to the point where it’s
inevitable,” Funk told Sullenger of knee
replacement surgery. “If you know you’re
going to do it and you’re in pain, pull the
trigger. The technology is there.”
The technology is even more advanced
now than when Funk had his surgery, thanks
to a robotic arm surgical system, which
helps surgeons get the most precise implant
alignment and positioning possible.
The surgeon-controlled RIO Robotic
Arm Interactive Orthopedic System provides
surgeons with real-time visual, tactile
and auditory feedback for knee and hip
replacements. MAKOplasty partial knee
resurfacing, and MAKOplasty total hip
replacement systems have been available to
surgeons for some time. Now, this year for
the first time, the robotic arm system will be
available for total knee replacements.
August 2015
healthsourcemag.com—15