Hi tkr,

The Stryker/Mako assistant, as far as I know, did not eliminate the need to cut slightly into the quad muscle(s) just above the knee. As far as I know, this is required to release the patella and move it to the side so the surgeon has easier access to the knee capsule. The patella itself is also "refinished" by removing any arthritic growth and placing a piece of very hard plastic on the back. This also allows the patella to slide easier with the hard plastic prostheses that take the place of the menisci.

As far as recovery, I never even noticed that the quad had been cut. I had no pain, and my surgeon told me it was a small incision necessary to release the patella.

The main purpose of the Stryker/Mako assistant is to take a CT model of the knee and identify the bone that needs to be cut before placement of the metal prostheses. I haven't heard of "quad sparing" - but advancements happen so fast in surgery - it wouldn't surprise me if this was possible.

But even if the quad has to be cut, it's a minor cut and didn't affect my recovery - well, as far as I can tell. The first two weeks of rehab are hard as flexion returns. Bending the knee just hurts, but is necessary (progressively) to restore flexion to the knee (120 degrees or greater). The good news - the pain lessens each day as flexion returns.

I don't think I answered your question. Hopefully you will find some of this useful.

Joe

The only surgery I know of that doesn't cut the quad is the Jiffy Knee. As a result the recovery is much faster. I'm scheduled for this surgery on July 11 and second knee on Sept. 28th. The second knee is a replacement of a partial knee which I had done using Stryker/Mako.