Craig and Gaye Moody held hands as they strolled along the boardwalk near the Blue River Bridge in Port Huron, Michigan.

The Moodys walk to exercise and spend time together beside the St. Clair River, at nearby parks or in their neighborhood.

“It’s really good to have someone to walk with, and I knew he enjoyed it,” Gaye said. “We live in a subdivision that you can easily walk two miles just by going in and out of the various streets. So, it’s been a really important part of our life.”

Recently, pain and irritation in his left knee began to interfere with Craig’s walks with Gaye and other activities.

“Last year, I wasn’t able to walk as far and long as she could. It got to the point where I could only do a mile — and I could do it only at my pace,” he said. “The pounding of the concrete was very irritating and made it sore. So, that’s when I knew that something had to be done.”

Patient Chooses Robot-Assisted Surgery

X-rays verified that Craig, 78, had end-stage arthritis in his knee.

Orthopedic surgeon Rajesh B. Makim, MD, said Craig explored many knee pain treatments for more than five years. Nonsurgical measures included cortisone injections, physical therapy, weight loss and activity modification.

“He was using a cane,” Dr. Makim said. “His knee was very stiff and very painful, and it interfered with his activities of daily living. He couldn’t enjoy the things that he wanted to do.”

Craig opted to undergo robotic-assisted knee replacement surgery on June 14 at Blue Water Surgery Center, an AMSURG affiliated ambulatory surgery center.

“My knee wasn’t going to get any better,” he said. “Even with physical therapy before, it was just bone-on-bone. I just couldn’t move.”

In traditional and robotic-assisted surgery, surgeons replace the knee’s damaged bone and cartilage with prosthetic joint components called implants.

For Craig’s procedure, Dr. Makim used a robotics platform. The system uses a CT scan of a patient’s joint to develop a personalized surgical plan. During the surgery, the surgeon guides a robotic arm to remove arthritic bone and cartilage from the knee.

Robotics is a “very sophisticated tool” used under the guidance of the surgeon, said orthopedic surgeon William Braaksma, MD.

“It is not a substitute for judgment or skill in the operating room,” he said. “It requires skill, and the surgeon has to know what they’re doing to make it work.”

The accurate and precise robotic technology allows surgeons “to do the knee replacement with very minimal soft tissue releases and to use the implant in the cuts to balance the knee,” Dr. Braaksma said. As a result, he said patients should experience “less pain, less swelling and faster recovery.”

Regaining Mobility, Range of Motion

Within a few hours of his procedure, Craig was discharged from Blue Water Surgery Center. The center provided a walker for him to use at home, where his wife kept an eye on his progress.

Two days later, Craig underwent a post-operative exam. He scheduled physical therapy sessions to assist with exercises to strengthen his knee.

“When they tell you to do some exercises, you do these exercises,” Craig said. “If you don’t do the exercises, you’re not going to get the benefits that the surgeon’s done for you.”

Craig’s dedication to rehabilitation paid off. Two weeks after surgery, he regained his range of motion and his strength. He transitioned from using a walker to a cane and then to walking unassisted.

“I had my balance,” he said. “I could move around the house without a problem. As long as I was on concrete, I was fine.”

Four to six weeks after knee replacement surgery, patients generally resume daily household activities, including walking, sitting, standing and climbing stairs.

Craig was cleared to drive after four weeks and mowed his lawn two months after surgery. The Moodys also resumed their daily walks together.

“He’s at the same pace I am, and he is not lagging behind. He doesn’t stop and turn around and go back,” Gaye said. “And, if he thinks he hasn’t gone far enough, he’ll go another block or two.”

Most knee replacement patients experience significantly reduced pain, improved mobility and a better quality of life.

“That’s one thing about knee replacement — it’s basically one of the most successful operations in orthopedics,” Dr. Makim said. “And, it’s one of the most life changing for people.”

Surgery Centers Benefit Patients

Around 790,000 knee replacement surgeries are performed each year in the United States. Your doctor may recommend knee replacement surgery if you experience any of the following:

• Severe knee pain or stiffness that limits everyday activities, including walking, climbing stairs and getting in and out of chairs
• Moderate or severe knee pain while resting, either day or night
• Chronic knee inflammation and swelling that does not improve with rest or medications
• Knee deformity — a bowing in or out of the knee
• Failure to improve substantially with anti-inflammatory medications, cortisone injections, lubricating injections, physical therapy or other surgeries

According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, more than 50 percent of joint replacements will be performed on an outpatient basis by 2026.

Various factors determine whether patients are suitable for outpatient surgery, such as their age, existing medical conditions and the support they receive at home.

Dr. Makim said procedures at ambulatory surgery centers benefit patients.

“The operation is basically the same as what we would do at the hospital,” he said. “The costs are lower, and we have a more streamlined approach to getting people in and out of the door without compromising any patient care.”

Don’t Delay Your Treatment

October is Bone and Joint Health Awareness Month. It’s important not to ignore chronic pain in your knee, hip, shoulder or back, or your condition may worsen.

“Thankfully, nowadays, knee replacement surgery is a very safe operation that is enjoyed by literally hundreds of thousands of people a year in the United States,” Dr. Makim said.

As Craig’s activity level increases, Gaye celebrates her husband’s recovery.

“I’m excited because it’s good to see him excited and not hurting,” she said. “He’s back, and it’s wonderful.”

Craig said he views the prominent scar on his knee as “a success story.”

“This knee was shot, and now it’s not,” he said, smiling.

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This article is designed for educational purposes only. The information provided should not be used for diagnosing or treating a health concern or disease. It is not a substitute for professional care. If you have or suspect you may have a health concern, you should consult your healthcare provider.

For years, John Bolt III enjoyed spending time outdoors playing golf and walking his dogs — until he started experiencing chronic pain in his right hip and back.

The Morehead City, North Carolina, resident said his pain limited his mobility and decreased his social time with his friends for about three years.

“I used to walk quite a bit with my dogs in the morning. I found that over an increasing period of time, it was getting harder and harder to get a full walk in,” John said. “And playing golf really became so painful that I just finally gave up on it.”

John’s pain also interrupted quality time with his wife of 54 years.

“My wife and I enjoy dancing,” he said. “For the last three years, prior to surgery, I pretty much wasn’t able to really get out there and dance. It was just too painful.”

Initially, physicians thought he may have had a sciatic nerve problem in his back. X-rays revealed the problem was actually in his hip.

Knowing Treatment Options Vary

Several years ago, John had a successful knee replacement surgery under the care of orthopedic surgeon Dr. Thomas E. Bates. Because of that physician-patient relationship, he consulted Dr. Bates about his hip pain.

For any joint pain, Dr. Bates said nonoperative and conservative measures are explored first for treatment. Nonsurgical measures may include physical therapy, activity modification, anti-inflammatory medication and sometimes injections into joints.

After considering his options, John chose total hip replacement surgery. This procedure replaces the hip’s damaged bone and cartilage with prosthetic components called implants.

“The pain had gotten chronic, and it just never [went] away. And that’s pretty mentally debilitating as well as physically debilitating. I was really ready to try to get something done to get rid of the pain and to become active again.”

Each year, more than 450,000 total hip replacements are performed in the United States, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

“Patients typically present with pain, decreased range of motion to their joints,” Dr. Bates said. “They sometimes have swelling and even mechanical symptoms that cause them difficulties when they’re doing certain activities.”

Orthopedic physicians might recommend hip replacement surgery if patients have one or more of the following symptoms:

• Hip pain that limits everyday activities, such as walking or bending
• Hip pain that continues while resting, either day or night
• Stiffness in a hip that limits the ability to move or lift the leg
• Inadequate pain relief from anti-inflammatory drugs, physical therapy or walking supports

Recovering From Surgery at Home

After COVID-19 delayed John’s procedure at a nearby hospital, physicians determined he was a good candidate for outpatient surgery. He had surgery in February 2022 at The Surgery Center of Morehead City, an AMSURG affiliated ambulatory surgery center.

“We typically do a case in the morning, and patients are home by lunchtime,” Dr. Bates said. “We have physical therapy coming to our center getting the patient up immediately [after surgery]. I think that decreases the risk of complications for patients and it also puts their family members at ease when they’re involved in the process.”

John was discharged from the surgery center the same day to recover at home. The next day, he started at-home physical therapy with a walker while awaiting his first post-operative appointment.

“I knew that walking was going to be the best thing that I could do from that point on,” he said. “I did all my walking indoors for probably the first couple of weeks.

Three weeks after surgery, he transitioned from using a walker to a cane to walking unassisted.

“And, within six weeks, I was released to go back to playing golf if I wanted to. So, it was a very positive experience for me.”

Returning to an Active lifestyle

More than a year after his hip replacement, John reports significant pain relief and improved mobility.

“I was pleasantly surprised how quickly I was able to recover,” he said.

He and his wife walk about two miles every day with their dogs, and when the weather is suitable, he plays golf sometimes twice a week. He also enjoys date nights and dancing again.

The Importance of Not Delaying Treatment

If people experience chronic pain in the knee, hip, shoulder or back, they should not ignore these symptoms. They should discuss treatment options with a physician.

“Things have changed over the years since I first started doing joint replacements,” Dr. Bates said. “We have been doing outpatient total joints at our facility. That really has been a game-changer in the way of recovery and satisfaction from patients and their families.”

AMSURG teams always keep the patient’s health and safety a priority and look for the least-invasive and best way to repair patients’ hips or other joints. For surgical procedures, physicians use skilled techniques to improve patients’ mobility and help them maintain an active lifestyle.

“When [hip pain keeps] you from doing anything that involves any type of walking or movement … that’s just not a way to live,” John said. “Get [surgery] done, and then really work at the rehab part. I think that’s important. It gets you back to normal as quickly as possible.”

This is designed for educational purposes only. The information provided should not be used for diagnosing or treating a health concern or disease. It is not a substitute for professional care. If you have or suspect you may have a health concern, you should consult your healthcare provider.