Minimally invasive knee replacement

I chose Dr Burger to perform my TKR in April of 2024. He took my insurance then. I knew then that once I turned 65, and was on Medicare that he would not be replacing my other knee. Dr Berger is a highly rated surgeon and his staff is very professional and knowledgeable about his surgical procedures.
I am pleased with the outcome. It was an out patient procedure and I chose to stay at the Springhill Suites River North instead of one the higher end one recommended by Dr Berger’s office. On the day after my surgery a nurse and physical therapist came to the hotel. I was able to travel the four hours home two days after the procedure. My recovery was “textbook” and I was back in the pool swimming laps at 8 weeks and on my bicycle at 12. My PT was impressed with my scar and quick recovery. I get comments about how my scar looks and how quickly I seemed to recover from a TKR.
When I need my other knee replaced, I will be researching for someone with
as good reputation as Dr Berger that accepts Medicare and my insurance. If money is a factor, there are many excellent surgeons to choose from.

The term minimally invasive can be confusing. Technically, it refers to the method of entry. But many people confuse it with some newer techniques that avoid cutting muscles and tendons by going around and under the muscles. People who do this generally do it through minimally invasive techniques but many who use minimally invasive techniques may still be cutting tendons and/or muscles.

I believe you are referring to the latter. It is much more complex than the older method and it has a steep learning curve.

My surgeon does minimally invasive but also does the techniques (subvastus or subv) that avoids cutting the muscles and tendons. He is also the prime inventor of the newest method for doing hip surgery. nonetheless, despite his inventor skills and patents, he believes that the skill and experience of the surgeon is more important than the method used.

So look for someone who does subvastus knee replacement surgery (a variant is called Jiffy Knee). I would also look for someone who uses robots (Mako and Cori are two major such robots) and, most importantly, someone who has successfully done many using the technique (I prefer thousands but at least hundreds).

There is no guarantee of success on knee surgery but if you can find someone who meets the three criteria, you are maximizing your opportunities for success.