Mako SmartRobotics™ Is Transforming Joint Replacement Surgery

More than 58 million U.S. adults suffer from arthritis, a condition that affects major joints and surrounding tissue. If you have one of the many forms of arthritis, you probably know how knee or hip pain can make everyday tasks difficult. It's why arthritis is a leading cause of work disability among U.S. adults. Thanks to modern technology, however, arthritis is almost always treatable.

At Schneck Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, we offer numerous surgical and non-surgical treatments for joint pain. Our practice has a new surgical tool we use for joint replacement surgeries called Mako SmartRobotics™ or "Mako." Mako is transforming the way we perform joint surgeries, including hip replacements and full and partial knee replacements.With Mako SmartRobotics™, patients are experiencing less pain, quicker recoveries, and superior outcomes than traditional procedures.

Let's take a closer look at the benefits of Mako for joint replacement surgeries.

Mako Basics: "See More. Cut Less."

First, a quick explanation of how Mako works from a surgeon's perspective.

When I was trained and certified to use this new surgical tool, the engineers who built Mako said it would help me "see more and cut less." That's because Mako relies on advanced CT-scan technology to give surgeons a more detailed picture of the joint before a procedure–it let's me "see more" of your unique anatomy and identify the arthritic areas of your knee through a 3D virtual model.

During surgery, I guide Mako’s robotic arm to remove any arthritic bone and cartilage. Your 3D virtual model helps me stay precise and "cut less" than a normal procedure would require. Mako also helps surgeons install the joint implant with greater precision, which results in less pain for patients in the long term.

Benefits of Mako for Joint Replacement Surgery

Mako offers numerous benefits for patients, which are backed by years of clinical studies. Here are a few highlights:

• Less pain. In one clinical study, patients who had a Mako partial knee procedure experienced less pain in the days and weeks following their surgery than those who had a non robotic-assisted procedure.¹

• More accurate implant placement. A more accurate implant placement could lead to improved outcomes and functioning of the knee.²

• Faster recovery. The rehabilitation period after a traditional replacement surgery can be painful and slow. Mako patients tend to see faster results. In one study, nine out of ten patients were walking without an aid three weeks after surgery. And 85% returned to work after just six weeks.³

But the greatest benefit of all is that Mako helps patients get back to enjoying their lives faster—with less joint pain!

¹Blyth MJ, Anthony I, Rowe P, Banger MS, MacLean A, Jones B. Robotic-arm assisted versus conventional unicompartmental knee arthoplasty: Exploratory secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial. Bone and Joint Research. 2017 Nov 16 (11):631-9.

²Bell SW; Anthony I; Jones B; MacLean A; Rowe P; Blyth M. Improved accuracy of component positioning with robotic-assisted unicompartmental knee arthroplasty: data from a prospective, randomized controlled study. J Bone and Joint Surg. 2016;98: 627-35.

³Coon T, Shi S, DeBattista J. Clinical and functional outcomes of robotic-arm assisted medial unicompartmental knee arthroplasty. European Knee Society 2017 Annual Meeting. London, England. Poster No. P59. April 19-21, 2017.