4 minute read
Great News for Those Under Fifty Suffering with Knee Pain
It’s Time to Start Enjoying Life Again
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By the St. George Surgical Center
Do you know that you no longer need to wait until you are fifty, sixty, or even seventy years old to have your knee replaced? This is great news for those under the age of fifty suffering with knee pain who have been waiting to have joint replacement surgery.
This is possible through the new NAVIO and its successor, the CORI robotic system, used by Dr. Gregory Hicken at the St. George Surgical Center (SGSC) in St. George, Utah. The technology of the NAVIO/ CORI robot has completely changed the long-term outlook for those having a knee replaced. Furthermore, Dr. Hicken is one of only two surgeons in southern Utah certified to use this system, and SGSC is the only facility in the region where it can be found. The NAVIO/CORI robots for knee replacements have demonstrated to the Food and Drug Administration that its enhanced level of accuracy and the design of the implants give patients a better longterm outcome.
In the past, most patients with knee pain and disability were not recommended for replacement surgery until they were between the ages of fifty and eighty because knee replacement implants were not as durable and would eventually wear out. Additionally, the technology available did not allow for the high degree of accuracy and precision that the NAVIO/CORI system has, making it likely that another surgery or a revision would have to be performed later in a person’s life. Consequently, knee replacements were not recommended frequently for younger patients.
The CORI robot changes all of that. With the NAVIO/CORI robot and the longevity of the new ceramic knee implants, it is now “one and done”: a thirty-, forty- or fifty-year-old individual could possibly go the rest of their life without another joint replacement surgery. Here is why: • The NAVIO/CORI system uses an
OXINIUM ceramic-coated implant rather than metal joints that risk metalon-metal micro flecks being introduced into the patient’s body. • The NAVIO/CORI robotics-assisted joint replacement surgery uses a custom 3-D digital model of the patient’s knee during the actual surgical procedure in the operating theater. This 3-D view helps the surgeon finalize and verify the right size implant for each patient and creates a detailed surgical plan to optimize movement and function.
In most cases, it also eliminates the radiation exposure and the costs of the
CT scan before surgery. • The CORI robot operates faster than the NAVIO so that the patient is under anesthesia for a shorter period of time.
In most cases, Dr. Hicken completes the procedure inclusive of the 3-D digital modeling and a customized surgical plan in about an hour and with more accuracy than non-robotics-assisted knee and hip replacement surgeries frequently performed elsewhere in southern Utah.
Before having knee replacement surgery using the NAVIO and the OXINIUM implant, Dr. Maria Todd was told by several physicians in Florida, Nevada, Colorado, and Utah that she
would have to wait for a knee replacement until she was older. A former firefighter and an active participant in tennis, skydiving, and sailing, she lived with seven knee surgeries, pain, and disability for forty-two years. Since her NAVIO total knee replacement, she is finally living pain free and is well on her way to a more active lifestyle. “I wish I would have had this surgery available to me years ago,” she said. “I have lived for years with disability and pain. The knee replacement feels like my own knee, and I’m finally getting back my quality of life.” Dr. Hicken’s outcome was similar to Maria’s. He had eight knee surgeries prior to his total knee replacement with the NAVIO Dr. Gregory Hicken system. As an active cyclist, the knee replacement surgery has been a life changer for him. There is no need to suffer with knee pain for years when there is a solution. If you have been experiencing joint pain, regardless of your age, it’s time to start enjoying life again. For more information, call the St. George Surgical Center at (435) 7057039 or Robotic Orthopaedic Institute at (435) 5233378. You can also visit SGSC’s website at www.stgeorgesurgical.com.
Join St. George Surgical Center for Dinner with the Doc where Dr. Hicken will explain the advantages of robotic-assisted knee and hip replacement and answer questions. Locations and times are listed below. Attendance and your meal are included at no charge. To reserve your seat, RSVP by calling 435-705-7039. Call today. Seating is limited!
Upcoming Dates:
• September 15, 2021 at Magleby’s Restaurant in St. George, Utah; 5-6:30 p.m. • October 20, 2021at Magleby’s Restaurant in St. George, Utah; 5-6:30 p.m. • November 17, 2021 at Magleby’s Restaurant in St. George, Utah; 5-6:30 p.m.
