The best STL doctors with the best technology.

Robotic Knee & Hip Replacement

The Mako SmartRoboticsTM For Joint Pain Relief

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Why Choose Us

Christopher Palmer Mako Robotic Knee Replacement

Christopher Palmer, DO

Christopher Palmer, DO, of Signature Orthopedics St. Louis, is an orthopedic surgeon highly trained in minimally invasive treatments through the use of robotic technology.

Don't worry though, Dr. Palmer does the surgery. The robotic arm is there to guide for accuracy and optimal outcomes.

Dr. Palmer also provides his patients with a tailored and personalized approach to joint replacement surgery - no matter the severity of their hip or knee issues. 

If you or a loved one experiences chronic joint pain or is in need of replacement surgery, contact Dr. Palmer at Signature Orthopedics to find out if robotic-assisted joint replacement surgery is right for you.

Mako Robotic Joint Replacement St. Louis 

Stop Living with Joint Pain 

Living with chronic or severe hip or knee pain should not mean giving up the things you love. 

Pain from arthritis and joint degeneration can be constant or come and go, occur with movement or after a period of rest, or be located in one spot or many parts of the body. It is common for patients to try medication and other conservative treatments to treat their knee or hip pain. If you haven’t experienced adequate relief with those treatment options, you may be a candidate for a Mako Smart RoboticsTM partial or total knee or hip replacement, which may provide you with relief from your joint pain.

Mako SmartRobotics™

We understand that knowing what to expect from your joint replacement experience is important to you. As you are reading through this material, please reach out to us to discuss if you have additional questions.

Each patient is unique and can experience joint pain for different reasons. It’s important to talk to us about the reason for your joint pain so you can understand the treatment options available to you. Pain from arthritis and joint degeneration can be constant or come and go, occur with movement or after a period of rest, or be located in one spot or many parts of the body. It is common for patients to try medication and other conservative treatments to treat their knee or hip pain. If you haven’t experienced adequate relief with those treatment options, you may be a candidate for Mako SmartRobotics™ for Total Knee, Total Hip, or Partial Knee replacement.

How Mako SmartRobotics™ works

Mako SmartRobotics™ is an innovative solution for many suffering from painful arthritis of the knee or hip. Mako uses 3D CT-based planning software so your surgeon can know more about your anatomy to create a personalized joint replacement surgical plan. This 3D model is used to preplan and assist your surgeon in performing your joint replacement procedure.

In the operating room, your surgeon follows your personalized surgical plan while preparing the bone for the implant. The surgeon guides Mako’s robotic arm within the predefined area, and Mako’s AccuStop™ technology helps the surgeon stay within the planned boundaries that were defined when the personalized preoperative plan was created. By guiding your doctor during surgery, Mako’s AccuStop™ technology allows your surgeon to cut less by cutting precisely what’s planned1-3 to help protect your healthy bone.4-8

It’s important to understand that the surgery is performed by an orthopedic surgeon, who guides Mako’s robotic arm during the surgery to position the implant in the knee and hip joints. Mako SmartRobotics™ does not perform surgery, make decisions on its own or move without the surgeon guiding it. Mako SmartRobotics™ also allows your surgeon to make adjustments to your plan during surgery as needed.

Total or Partial Knee Replacement

Based on the severity of the arthritis in the knee, total or partial knee replacement may be recommended by a surgeon. Both procedures involve the orthopaedic surgeon guiding Mako’s robotic arm to remove diseased bone and cartilage.

Mako SmartRobotics™ for partial and total knee replacement is a treatment option for adults living with early- to mid-stage osteoarthritis (OA) that has not yet progressed to all three compartments of the knee. Depending on where the arthritis affects the knee, patients may have an implant inserted in any of the following areas:

  • In a unicondylar knee replacement, only one area (or compartment) of the joint is replaced.
  • A patellofemoral knee replacement replaces the kneecap (or patella) and the grove at the lower end of the thighbone (or femur).
  • A bicompartmental knee replacement affects two compartments of the knee – the inside (medial) and knee cap.

In comparison, Mako SmartRobotics™ for Total Knee replacement is a treatment option for adults living with mid-to late-stage osteoarthritis of the knee. With a Mako Total Knee replacement, the entire knee joint is replaced, and the surgeon inserts a Triathlon Total Knee implant. With over a decade of clinical history, Triathlon knee replacements are different than traditional knee replacements because they are designed to work with the body to promote natural-like circular motion.9-11

Hip Replacement

Mako SmartRobotics™ for Total Hip replacement is intended for patients who suffer from noninflammatory or inflammatory degenerative joint disease (DJD). Some forms of DJD include osteoarthritis (OA), post-traumatic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), avascular necrosis (AVN) and hip dysplasia.

Mako Has Transformed the Way Knee & Hip Replacement Is Performed

Since 2007, more than 300,000 total procedures, including total knee, partial knee, and total hip replacement have been performed with Mako across 26 countries worldwide.


IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Knee & hip replacements

Knee and hip replacement is intended for use in individuals with joint disease resulting from degenerative and rheumatoid arthritis, avascular necrosis, fracture of the neck of the femur, or functional deformity of the hip.

Knee joint replacement is intended for use in individuals with joint disease resulting from degenerative, rheumatoid and post- traumatic arthritis, and for moderate deformity of the knee.

Joint replacement surgery is not appropriate for patients with certain types of infections, any mental or neuromuscular disorder that would create an unacceptable risk of prosthesis instability, prosthesis fixation failure or complications in postoperative care, compromised bone stock, skeletal immaturity, severe instability of the joint, or excessive body weight.

Like any surgery, joint replacement surgery has serious risks which include, but are not limited to, pain, infection, bone fracture, change in the treated leg length (hip), joint stiffness, hip joint fusion, amputation, peripheral neuropathies (nerve damage), circulatory compromise (including deep vein thrombosis (blood clots in the legs)), genitourinary disorders (including kidney failure), gastrointestinal disorders (including paralytic ileus (loss of intestinal digestive movement)), vascular disorders (including thrombus (blood clots), blood loss, or changes in blood pressure or heart rhythm), bronchopulmonary disorders (including emboli, stroke or pneumonia), heart attack, and death.

Implant related risks that may lead to a revision of the implant include dislocation, loosening, fracture, nerve damage, heterotopic bone formation (abnormal bone growth in tissue), wear of the implant, metal and/or foreign body sensitivity, soft tissue imbalance, osteolysis (localized progressive bone loss), audible sounds during motion, reaction to particle debris, and reaction to metal ions (ALTR). Knee and hip implants may not provide the same feel or performance characteristics experienced with a normal healthy joint.

The information presented is for educational purposes only. Speak to your doctor to decide if joint replacement surgery is appropriate for you. Individual results vary and not all patients will return to the same activity level. The lifetime of any joint replacement is limited and depends on several factors like patient weight and activity level. Your doctor will counsel you about strategies to potentially prolong the lifetime of the device, including avoiding high-impact activities, such as running, as well as maintaining a healthy weight. It is important to closely follow your doctor’s instructions regarding post-surgery activity, treatment and follow-up care. Ask your doctor if a joint replacement is right for you.

Stryker Corporation or its other divisions or other corporate affiliated entities own, use, or have applied for the following trademarks or service marks: AccuStop, Mako, SmartRobotics, Stryker, Triathlon. All other trademarks are trademarks of their respective owners.

References

Bell 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 Joint Surg Am. 2016;98(8):627-635. doi:10.2106/JBJS.15.00664

Illgen RL, Bukowski BR, Abiola R, et al. Robotic-assisted total hip arthroplasty: outcomes at minimum two year follow up. Surg Technol Int. 2017;30:365-372.

Mahoney O, Kinsey T, Mont M, Hozack W, Orozco F, Chen A. Can computer-generated 3D bone models improve the accuracy of total knee component placement compared to manual instrumentation? A prospective multi-center evaluation. Poster presented at: 32nd Annual Congress of the International Society for Technology in Arthroplasty; October 2-5, 2019; Toronto, Canada.

Suarez-Ahedo C, Gui C, Martin TJ, Chandrasekaran S, Lodhia P, Domb BG. Robotic-arm assisted total hip arthroplasty results in smaller acetabular cup size in relation to the femoral head size: a matched-pair controlled study. Hip Int. 2017;27(2):147-152. doi:10.5301/hipint.5000418

Kayani B, Konan S, Pietrzak JRT, Haddad FS. Iatrogenic bone and soft tissue trauma in robotic-arm assisted total knee arthroplasty compared with conventional jig-based total knee arthroplasty: a prospective cohort study and validation of a new classification system. J Arthroplasty. 2018;33(8):2496-2501. doi:10.1016/j.arth.2018.03.042

Hozack WJ. Multicentre analysis of outcomes after robotic-arm assisted total knee arthroplasty. Bone Joint J:Orthop Proc. 2018;100-B(Supp_12):38.

Banks SA. Haptic robotics enable a systems approach to design of a minimally invasive modular knee arthroplasty. Am J Orthop (Belle Mead NJ0. 2009;38(2 Suppl):23-27.

Hampp E, Chang TC, Pearle A. Robotic partial knee arthroplasty demonstrated greater bone preservation compared to robotic total knee arthroplasty. Poster presented at: Orthopaedic Research Society Annual Meeting; February 2-5, 2019; Austin, TX.

Piazza S. Designed to maintain collateral ligament stability throughout the range of motion. Stryker-Initiated Dynamic Computer Simulations of Passive ROM and Oxford Rig Test. 2003.

Wang H, Simpson KJ, Ferrara MS, Chamnongkich S, Kinsey T, Mahoney OM. Biomechanical differences exhibited during sit-to-stand between total knee arthroplasty designs of varying radii. J Arthroplasty. 2006;21(8):1193-1199. doi:10.1016/j.arth.2006.02.172

Gómez-Barrena E, Fernandez-García C, Fernandez-Bravo A, Cutillas-Ruiz R, Bermejo-Fernandez G. Functional performance with a single-radius femoral design total knee arthroplasty. Clin Orthop Relat Res. 2010;468(5):1214-1220. doi:10.1007/s11999-009-1190-2

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Copyright © 2020 Stryker

Doctors

Christopher W. Palmer, DO

Christopher W. Palmer

St. Louis, MO

12639 Old Tesson Road
Suites 100 and 115
St. Louis, MO 63128