Jan 02, 2023
Welcome back to UHC’s House Call on WDTV. Here to discuss Joint Replacements and the Mako Smart Robotics System is Chris Courtney, DO, orthopaedic surgeon at UHC Orthopaedics.
1). Is age a factor with regard to joint replacement?
Age certainly can be a factor when it comes to joint replacement. However, the way I was taught, you do not operate due to a birth date. You do not operate due to an X-ray. If the patient matches the clinical signs and symptoms of pain, loss of mobility, failed treatment, and their X-rays indicate the joint is the cause of the pain, then they become a candidate for surgery. After that, the patient overall has to be healthy enough to be cleared for surgery.
2). What is a typical recovery after joint replacement?
Well, this is a team approach. There are two teams, the treatment team and then the patient and their family support. What I tell all my patients is that it is a couple of hours of work on our part to get you the joint you need, and it becomes approximately three months of work on your part to make that joint work like it should. People do vary. People do return to work sooner, but it is a big surgery and there are variables that affect outcomes following surgery.
3). What does this new surgery robot mean for patients in North Central West Virginia?
What it means, simply put, is that we care. This reinforces UHC’s commitment to providing the region with the best health care possible.
This content was originally posted on the WDTV News website here.
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