TKR Differences between robotic & conventional in 2024

[benne68]

@Levy1 I see you are new to the forum. Please start a personal thread to tell us about yourself and where you are in the joint replacement journey.

If you've had a TKR already, you can get started here:

Knee Surgery Recovery Area

For post-operative knee patients, on the "other side"

bonesmart.org

if you are pre-op, go here:

Knee Surgery Pre-Op Area

For those anticipating knee surgery (pre-operative). Including information on MIS/Robotics knee procedures.

bonesmart.org

On either page, just click on the bright orange Post Thread button on the upper right side of the page to get started.

 

[benne68]

@DAV. Unfortunately, the information we get from Dr. Google can drive us crazy.

As a patient, my priority was to find a surgeon I trusted. Even after all my surgeries, I still don't know enough to second guess his experience and expertise.

 

[Jtmav]

One thing, you can’t judge a surgeon‘s skill by his bedside manner or demeanor. In some ways the surgeons who are all business and less chatty tend to give me more confidence. Generalizations are not sufficient to make a decision. Did the surgeon come recommended by someone with firsthand experience? There’s no substitute for that type of referral. Good luck

 

[Lee.G]

I had conventional tkr surgery on my right knee oct 2023, my surgeon stitched the inside and glued the outside. My acar is not very noticeable. I can bend my right knee as much as my left knee now.
8 to 10 weeks post op i was bending about 123 deg or so.

 

[t2paythepiper]

Chiming in on the trust your surgeon comments.

Not to say this isn't true with others but for me, personally, due to my medical history there were more likely to be decisions that had to be made during the procedure.

When getting multiple opinions for my hip, I found OSs who were committed to their approach, OSs who were very personable and put you at ease immediately, and the the more curmudgeonly OSs.

The surgeon I ultimately chose was of the latter group and one someone might consider old school. He was happy to explain things to an extent but also explained that he could not predict what he would find inside. This surgeon had decades of experience that the others I met with did not.

He made his recommendation based on my history but was ready to make changes as needed. He's someone who had seen it all from revisions to infections to trauma etc. So when it came to the knee I was thrilled he had not yet retired. I half smiled looking at my list of questions knowing what the answers would be.
As expected, many were "we'll decide when we get in there."

I trusted him for the THR and 8 years later, trusted him for this TKR. So far, so good, times two.

P.S. he knew my insurance situation was different this round and was quick to tell me that the robotics wasn't necessary. He told me how many surgeries he had done without it and that the benefit allowed for the more precise cuts. I had no problem paying out of pocket for the robotics but I appreciated him trying to put my mind at ease had I not been able to afford it

 

[Nlh61]

From what my doctor said, in one year you will most likely be in the same place regardless of which type of surgery you have. The difference is with robotics you will feel better sooner have faster results which will be encouraging in the long run. It’s just a matter of how much better you want to feel. Do you want to get discouraged because it’s taking longer or do you want to be encouraged with progress each week?

 

[Jockette]

The difference is with robotics you will feel better sooner have faster results

This really varies with the individual and how we each react to the surgery. There are some who have traditional surgery and recover “faster” than some who have robotic.