Florida Hospital Waterman | Waterman Wellness | Fall 2018

Rebecca Boehm, of Sum- merfield, walks at least 8,000 steps per day, according to her pedometer. But as little as a year ago, she was afraid to walk or do much activity at all because of severe knee pain. “I could not have walked this kind of distance before my knee procedure,” Boehm says. “Now I can walk and go to parties without fear of being in pain.” Early last year, Boehm consulted with orthopedic surgeon Donald Perry, MD, and opted to have a partial knee replacement to remove arthritis from her joint. “If a patient has isolated arthritis to one localized area of the knee, we can do what’s called a Mako TM robotic arm- assisted surfacing procedure,” explains Dr. Perry. “This procedure does not require replacing the entire knee joint. We just replace a small surface area or part of the knee, whether the inside part or the lateral part, and most of these patients can be treated on an outpatient basis.” Rapid recovery “I was an outpatient, which meant I didn’t have an overnight stay in the hospital,” says Boehm. “Dr. Perry had told me I would be up and walking immediately after the surgery, and I thought he was kidding! But I did get up and use a walker on my own before I was sent home that day. I was pleasantly surprised by how little pain I felt.” “We use information from the patient’s CT scan (computed tomogra- phy or series of x-rays) to program the Mako TM robotic arm computer. The computer takes all this information in, records it and calculates how much bone needs to be removed and how much needs to be replaced,” explains Dr. Perry. “It allows for a more precise procedure and faster recovery with less pain.” Boehm continued to use a walker for a few days after her procedure and began rehabilita- tive therapy at home to expedite her recovery. “The recovery can be very rapid. Most patients will go back to work, No more knee pain if they’re not retired, within a week or two,” says Dr. Perry. “After six months, I was comfort- able doing pretty much anything,” says Boehm. “There are certain things I probably won’t ever be able to do again, like getting down on my knees to work in my flowerbed. However, I can walk without pain now and enjoy more activities, so I know I made a good choice.” Donald Perry, MD MISSING MOBILITY? Explore joint surgery options at FHWatermanOrtho.com . I can walk without pain now and enjoy more activities, so I know I made a good choice.” —Rebecca Boehm FHWaterman . com 7