Patient Stories
“I went into the procedure with full confidence that everything would turn out OK,” Rudy said. “I had no fear whatsoever. [And, after the surgery] everybody was so amazed that I was able to move around so well on the following day with very minimal pain.”
Patient: Rudy Thomas*
Procedure: Prostatectomy
“I’ve started to work out again with light weights and figure by week 12 post-op I will have regained full motion and strength.”
Scott – like many when they are young adults – was very active in sports. Unfortunately, he suffered from torn cartilage in his knee early on and had to have open arthrotomy, an incision into the joint, in 1976. He recovered quickly and soon returned to playing sports; however, not even 4 years later, he had to have a second open arthrotomy, again, as a result of torn cartilage in his knee. As with the first procedure though, he healed quickly and was right back in the sports arena. Nevertheless, in 1994, Scott tore his ACL and had to have operative reconstruction once again.
By the time Scott was in his early 40’s, he began to experience a persistent pain after he would go running, a pain that began to last for several weeks after the onset. “By the time I was 45-46,” he says, “I couldn’t run anymore because the pain was so severe. I eventually had to make the decision to give up most sporting activities that I truly enjoyed.”
Scott, now 51, states that this past year he began experiencing a “constant grinding and deformity of (his) right knee.” He adds: “It became so severe that even walking up and down stairs became difficult.” It was around this same time that Scott began hearing about a new robot that was in town, a robot designed for minimally invasive partial knee resurfacing.
Scott made the decision to sit in on an information lecture led by Dr. Nicholas Connors, board-certified orthopedic surgeon. “I wanted to get an idea of how the procedure was done and why it was different from traditional partial knee replacement,” he says. “I was intrigued, and following the lecture, I scheduled to have X-rays done. The results showed complete loss of joint cartilage on the medial side of my knee; in other words, I was bone on bone. For this reason, Dr. Connors felt I was a good candidate for robotic-assisted partial knee resurfacing.”
Typical robotic-assisted partial knee resurfacing patients, such as Scott, share the following characteristics:
- Knee pain with activity, usually on the inner knee, under the kneecap or isolated to the outer knee,
- Start up knee pain or stiffness when activities are initiated from a sitting position,
- Failure to respond to non-surgical treatments, injections or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication.
Scott says his experience with the surgery was “excellent.” From the pre-op to post-op, everything went painlessly, literally. “The pre-operative and operating room staff at ShorePoint Health Port Charlotte were outstanding to the point that I hardly remember any of the procedure. Following, I had very little pain and was transferred to a room on the Orthopedic Center for Excellence unit. There, my knee was placed in a CPM* and ice was applied continuously for swelling and pain control. The nursing staff on this unit made my brief stay a memorable experience. I’ve had many surgeries in the past, but the nursing staff on the orthopedic unit at ShorePoint Health Port Charlotte was by far the best; they represent what nursing care should be.”
*CPM stands for continuous passive motion, and is a machine that slowly and gently flexes and extends the knee.
The following morning after the procedure, Scott was seen by physical therapy and he was up and walking with a walker. By that afternoon, he was walking with a cane only. “I still had only minimal pain in my leg.”
Scott was discharged to home two days following his procedure – and was using only a cane. Four days later, Scott returned to work with moderate discomfort and was walking without an assistive device.
Over the course of the next month, Scott’s range of motion, or the distance and direction his knee joint could move to its full potential, returned to a healthy, normal range, and he was experiencing minimal to no knee pain. “I can walk up and down steps, step over step, and can get in and out of a car with little difficulty,” he says.
Patient: Scott, 51*
Procedure: Knee Surgery
“I’m very pleased with the recovery time,” Don says. “I guess I expected it to take longer. It was a piece of cake!”
Don Knutson, 78, is no stranger to hip replacement surgery. He had his right hip replaced in 1984 and after it reached its 20-year life expectancy in 2004, Nicholas Connors, M.D., performed revision surgery at ShorePoint Health Port Charlotte to replace the original implant. A few months later, an accidental slip and misstep required yet another revision by Dr. Connors.
Around that time, Don developed pain in his left hip, as it bore the brunt of his weight while his right hip underwent two surgeries in such a short period of time. That, along with years of playing baseball and softball in his youth, took a toll. Don admits to having “a pretty high pain tolerance,” so he waited a few years before finally returning to Dr. Connors to determine if his left hip also needed to be replaced.
Dr. Connors determined that Don’s left hip was in fact ready for a replacement. But this time, Dr. Connors had a new tool available—a robot to assist and increase the accuracy of the placement of the implant. Dr. Connors determined that Don was a candidate and explained the procedure.
In robot-assisted hip replacement surgery, an orthopedic surgeon uses data and measurements from a patient’s unique anatomy to program a robotic arm to prepare the bone and guide placement of the implant with greater accuracy than traditional hip replacement surgery. The robot offers real-time information and images to optimize the surgeon’s ability to control implant placement.
The procedure also uses a smaller incision. Given the “railroad track” scars on his right side from repeated hip surgeries, Don looked forward to a smaller scar on his left side. When he compares the length of the incisions on both of his hips, Don concludes that the robot-assisted surgery “is a very nice way to go.”
In addition to the smaller incision, Don learned how using the robot increases the accuracy of the implant placement, thereby reducing potential complications that could lead to follow-up surgeries—something that Don was all too familiar with and happy to avoid.
“I got up the first day [after the surgery] and walked,” says Don. “No problems. I was ready to come home.” And after a two-night stay at ShorePoint Health Port Charlotte, Don returned home.
In contrast to his other hip replacement surgeries, Don feels that the robot-guided surgery with its smaller incision and optimal implant placement allowed for a quicker recovery. His recovery even left him thinking that the doctor’s instructions were too conservative for how he felt. While those instructions included the use of a walker, Don instead used a cane so he could move around freely.
“I’m very pleased with the recovery time,” Don says. Three months after surgery, he is still impressed with his recovery. “I guess I expected it to take longer. It was a piece of cake!”
Today, Don no longer deals with the pain in his left hip. He is able to again enjoy his day-to-day activities with his wife, Dawn. He says: “Before the surgery I had pain, real pain in my leg and hip and could hardly do anything. In fact, I walked with a cane when I went in to talk to Dr. Connors. I was walking with a cane because it hurt so badly. Right now I have absolutely no pain in my left leg at all.”
When people ask Don about his hip replacement surgery done with the help of a robot, Don is happy to share his experience. With a smaller incision, quicker recovery and a pain-free hip, Don recommends the procedure to anyone interested.
Don Knutson, 78*
Procedure: Hip Replacement
“Suddenly I was walking without pain after being in constant pain for nine months. The robotic-assisted partial knee resurfacing procedure and Dr. Constine gave me my life back.”
Keeping active keeps you young and healthy despite your age. Being on your feet and participating in an array of activities or running your own business and doing routine things like taking a stroll through the store while shopping are things that any active person can enjoy. Imagine having all of that ripped away. Suddenly you start experiencing knee pain that severely decreases your quality of life. Now you cannot even walk or stand around for any significant period of time.
That is exactly what happened to Diana Harlow. Harlow, 72, is very active. She runs her own business and is currently in the process of launching a new business. About nine months ago, Harlow started experiencing such severe knee pain that she couldn’t walk or stand for any extended amount of time. Even going to the grocery store to shop for her business put her knees under too much pressure.
“I put in ten hour work days,” explains Harlow. “I couldn’t do it anymore with my knee pain.”
It looked like knee replacement was Harlow’s only option. Without it, she could not possibly resume her normal, active lifestyle. Her business would suffer and her quality of life would be greatly diminished. Yet, a knee replacement would require a large incision, long recovery and a lengthy hospital stay.
Luckily for Harlow, ShorePoint Health had a solution.
For Harlow, robotic-assisted partial knee resurfacing was a clear option. Even more to her benefit, the caring and highly trained team at ShorePoint Health, and physician Dr. Ronald Constine, was able to deliver quality results.
“I was amazed that everyone at ShorePoint Health worked as a team,” explains Harlow. “They all knew what was happening. Everyone was on the same page, which made being a patient easy.” Harlow was evaluated by the physical therapist the day of surgery and progressively increased her ambulation. She was discharged home within two days of admission already walking a distance more than 300 feet, surpassing her goals.
“It is people that care that make the difference,” says Harlow of the ShorePoint Health staff. Harlow always felt cared for, as is the goal of the ShorePoint Health staff. The entire staff should be commended for providing me with the utmost in loving care. They all showed such dedication and did everything possible to make my experience as comfortable and pleasant as possible.
After being discharged, Harlow was up and walking independently in her home six days after surgery.
“Suddenly I was walking without pain after being in constant pain for nine months,” Harlow states. “The robotic-assisted partial knee resurfacing procedure and ShorePoint Health gave me my life back.”
Today, Harlow’s knee feels great. She is climbing ladders and painting, working 50 hours a week launching her new business which she couldn’t do without the knee surgery.
Patient: Diana, 72*
Procedure: Knee Surgery
*Patient results may vary. Consult your physician about the benefits and risks of any surgical procedure or treatment.