At SSM DePaul Health Center, our orthopedic surgeons specialize in minimally-invasive total knee joint replacement surgery. Each patient is cared for by a highly experienced team of orthopedic surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses and physical therapists who will guide them from pre-surgery education through post-surgery rehabilitation and recovery.
Patient Benefits
Over 300,000 knee replacement surgeries are performed each year in the United States. And thanks to recent advancements, patients no longer have to endure the traditional method which includes a difficult and painful recovery.
With a smaller skin incision and less surgical damage to the quadriceps muscle, patients have experienced a quicker return of knee strength, a more rapid return of knee motion and shorter hospital stays.
William Schroer, MD, an orthopedic surgeon on-staff with SSM DePaul says, “We’re doing a standard knee replacement through a different surgical approach—how we get in and out of the knee are what make the difference with this procedure.”
Surgery
The quadriceps is the large extensor muscle on the front of the thigh and is the key to successful rehabilitation after all knee replacement surgery. Traditional knee replacement surgery requires cutting through this muscle.
With minimally invasive knee surgery, we go around the quadriceps, not through it, which results in less postoperative pain, and a quicker return of motion and strength.
With traditional knee replacement surgery, an 8- to 12-inch incision is standard. The quadriceps is then cut into directly and the kneecap flipped over to allow access to the knee joint, damaging the muscle.
With minimally invasive knee replacements, the incision is 4 to 5 inches. Instead of being cut, the quadriceps is released from the underlying joint capsule on one side and then slid out of the way for the operation.
Once the knee joint exposure is made, a knee replacement is performed in the same manner as a traditional knee replacement. Diseased bone and cartilage are removed from the distal femur and the proximal tibia, which are then resurfaced with implants of cobalt chrome. A piece of plastic is then locked onto the tibial component, creating a new sliding surface between the femur and the tibia, much like nature intended the knee to work.
Recovery
Studies indicate that nearly 90-percent of patients with minimally-invasive knee replacement surgery, are able to perform a straight leg raise the day after surgery, rather than the three to four days it takes for conventional knee replacements.
The knee range of motion following minimally invasive surgery has been excellent, averaging over 120 degrees by six weeks after the operation, also a significant improvement over traditional knee replacements.
Finally, the minimally invasive procedure also results in shorter hospital stays, 3.1 days versus 4.5 days averaged previously at DePaul Health Center.