In This Issue
Flying through hip surgery
MAKOplasty at ZCO
Staying Informed
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Kicking up her heels on new knee

 

"I love my new knee!

 

"Dr. Zehr is an exceptional surgeon with a kind and honest demeanor. I followed his protocol and had a swift and successful recovery. As the photo depicts, shopping is fun, but, chasing my young grandsons is my greatest pleasure and now pain free!

 

"The Zehr Center team have been incredibly supportive and helpful before, during, and after my surgery. I'm thrilled with my decision.

 

"To those of you reading this, put your doubts aside and your future comfort in Dr. Robert Zehr."


- Ann Fleming
Flying through
hip surgery

 

"Here I am, 6 1/2 weeks out of hip replacement surgery, indoor skydiving on the Quantum of the Seas. Two weeks later, we visited Venice, Italy and walked nearly 10 miles and climbed 26 flights of stairs in a day.  

 

"Would have been impossible before.Great job, pain free. 

 

"Thanks again for improving my quality of life."

 

- Don Colapietro

 

Our website is full of testimonies like Ann's and Don's - patients who are living pain-free lives. You can read them here. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to send us photos and stories for our office "Wall of Fame." We invite you to share your success story too, just hit "Reply!"
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Issue: #38
June 2015

 

If you need a reason to bite into a cold, juicy, ripe watermelon this summer (aside from the fact that it is just plain delicious) here it is. Watermelon contains anti-oxidants, such as vitamin C, and the minerals zinc and selenium. All have been shown to possess anti-inflammatory properties. So enjoy summer's iconic fruit - it's just what the doctor ordered!

Warm regards, 
Robert J. Zehr, M.D.
Robotic technology for knee replacement at ZCO

When only one area of the knee has worn down with advanced arthritis, and the remainder of the knee has little wear with intact structural ligaments, this may be an opportunity to replace only this damaged compartment of the knee. This procedure is called "partial" or "unicompartmental" knee replacement and is now a popular and scientifically supported method of resolving the arthritic pain of the knee preserving much of the structural integrity of the remaining knee.

 

Patients who qualify for this unique solution to their knee pain will find several great advantages to the partial knee replacement when compared to a total knee replacement.

  • First, the typical partial knee patient will have increased motion in their knee after completing therapy above what typical total knee replacement patients will realize.
  • Second, the motion through flexion and extension will seem more natural because the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is maintained in partial knee surgery, but is removed in a total knee resulting in a different, more mechanical feeling to the knee. The loss of the ACL in a total knee is thought to be the reason why patients are uncomfortable kneeling and descending stairs after surgery.
  • Third, partial knee surgery is a more bone conserving operation which allows for the unlikely revision to a standard total knee replacement in those very few patients who either wear out the remainder of the maintained knee or have a loosening failure of the implant.
  • Finally, most partial knee patients recover to active function quicker than a typical total knee replacement patient.

Once it has been determined by your history, exam and radiographs that you are a candidate for a partial knee replacement, it then becomes important to select the type of implant, the surgical technique and even the surgeon which is best suited to your situation. There are many types of partial knees from which to choose and just as many surgical techniques to implant them.  How do you choose?

 

What should make it easier for you to select the correct implant, technique and surgeon is to familiarize yourself with the most advanced technology available today in which a sophisticated robotic arm and 3D spatial positioning software assists a well-trained, experienced knee surgeon to implant your knee in the most accurate way possible.  This technology is called MAKOplasty� and is now offered at the Zehr Center for Orthopaedics. You can read more about this new technology for knee replacement on our website. 

 

MAKOplasty�robotic arm assisted knee surgery is the most  consistently reproducible, precision joint replacement installation  system available in the world today that allows certified surgeons to  optimize knee implant sizing, tracking, and ligament balance enhancing implant function and longevity. The accuracy is within 1mm and 1 degree, and has been shown to be at least 3 times more accurate than standard human held instrument systems.  

 

For more information on MAKOplasty�robotic arm assisted knee surgery and other groundbreaking orthopaedic procedures for hips and knees, contact the Zehr Center for Orthopaedics at 239-596-0100. Online at www.zehrcenter.com.

 

Stay Informed

In our May newsletter retired physician Dr. David Criswell gave you a personal perspective on the two approaches to hip replacement. Be sure to add [email protected] to your address book so you don't miss future issues. You can read past issues  in our archive.

Our website is chock-full of educational information too, and we are constantly adding short articles to our blog, where you can choose to read about hips, knees, general orthopaedics and health or catch up on our latest news.

Seminar Online

Video link
   

There are no live seminars scheduled, but we want to remind you that the entire educational seminar "Joint Arthritis - What's New, What Works" is available for viewing online, either in its entirety or in segments.