In order for Twohey to
continue golfing and traveling,
she would need surgery.
Fortunately, she didn’t have to
go far. The specialized surgery
she needed—assisted by a state-
of-the-art medical robot—was
available at Sonora Regional
Medical Center.
MAKOplasty makeover
When severe or chronic knee
pain hasn’t responded to other
treatments, surgeons must often
replace the entire knee joint with
a prosthetic implant. But because
Twohey’s arthritis hadn’t advanced
to all three knee compartments,
she was a candidate for partial knee
replacement, also called resurfacing.
The timing couldn’t have been
better. The Medical Center had
just acquired the technology to
offer a robot-assisted resurfacing
procedure called MAKOplasty.
Only 160 other hospitals
nationwide have this technology.
Last February, Twohey became
the first person to undergo robot-
assisted knee surgery at the
Medical Center. Her surgeon,
Airell Nygaard, MD, medical
director of the Center for Joint
Replacement, spearheaded the
effort to acquire the robotic
system. He thoroughly explained
the procedure to Twohey, who also
did her own research.
She learned that MAKOplasty
uses a CT scan of her knee and a
robotic arm that help guide her
surgeon, allowing him to rebuild
her damaged knee with incredible
precision through small incisions.
The MAKOplasty procedure
can help relieve pain and enable a
return to active living. Compared
to total knee replacement surgery,
MAKOplasty’s potential advantages
include reduced pain, a shorter
hospital stay, a quicker recovery,
less implant wear and loosening,
better range of motion, and a more
natural-feeling knee.
Out of the rough
Prior to her surgery, Twohey
attended a joint replacement class
at the Medical Center that helped
her prepare for both surgery and
recovery. When it came time for
surgery, Twohey was genuinely
excited. Quite a few nurses and
doctors attended to observe the
new procedure, which lasted about
three hours.
Twohey went home the next
day. She started rehabilitation,
which included physical therapy
and exercises to help strengthen
the muscles around her joint
and regain her range of motion.
Twohey’s insurance covered in-
home physical therapy for the first
week after her surgery, but she says
doing the exercises taught in the
Medical Center’s joint replacement
class would have been sufficient.
Her doctor and physical
therapist have been pleased with
her recovery, she says.
After just nine weeks, she was
back to her normal activities. Of
course, everyone’s situation is
different, she says, but she moved
so well so quickly that her friends
couldn’t believe she’d just had her
knee resurfaced.
But even more thrilling for
Twohey was this: She received her
doctor’s OK to practice putting
and chipping. She recalls that first
tentative swing: “I was so excited,”
Twohey says. “It just made me feel
good to be out there.”
She set a personal goal. By
early summer, she hoped to be
strong enough to visit Scotland—
where modern golf is said to
have started—and Ireland for a
week. Ten weeks after her surgery,
Twohey was well on her way to
achieving that goal.
‘Exemplary’ experience
“I felt lucky to be a part of this
new procedure,” Twohey says. But
just as important as the technology
were her surgeon’s skills and the
care she received from the center.
In a word, she says, the experience
was “exemplary.”
“From the beginning, everybody
at the hospital was fabulous,”
Twohey says. “I was extremely
pleased with their genuine
kindness and professionalism.”
Are you considering partial knee
replacement surgery? You could be
a candidate for MAKOplasty. To
find out, call the Center for Joint
Replacement at
536-3366
.
Sherry Sumner, PA; Airell Nyggard,
MD; and Mary Beth Twohey
•
Healthy Living
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