Out and About
Inova Mount Vernon Hospital Now Offers Outpatient Partial Knee Replacement Surgery
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| Walking companions: Michael Maloof again can walk Sabre, his Doberman, several miles a day after he received partial knee replacement surgery. The outpatient surgery involved replacing damaged bone and cartilage with an implant. |
Michael Maloof remembers the moment well. He was descending a craggy mountain trail when he slid on a loose rock and twisted his right knee as he plunged to the ground. That was 30 years ago. Surgery healed the damaged joint, but over the years arthritis took hold of his knee. Accustomed to taking his Doberman on daily five-mile treks, the 69-year-old Reston resident found he could only walk one mile each day with frequent breaks.
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Maloof sought the expertise of Kevin Fricka, MD, an orthopedic surgeon at Inova Mount Vernon Hospital, who recommended partial knee replacement surgery. Inova Mount Vernon Hospital recently began offering it as an outpatient service. For Maloof, a former Defense Department employee who continues to provide training services in the private sector, having a minimally invasive procedure that would allow him a speedy return to his active lifestyle was a top priority.
“Mr. Maloof was an excellent candidate for an outpatient partial knee replacement,” says Dr. Fricka, who performed the procedure on Maloof. “This surgery would help alleviate his pain and allow him a quicker recovery in his own home,” he adds. “Staying overnight in the hospital was not needed for this type of surgery.”
Positive Outcome
Your doctor may recommend partial knee surgery if only part of your knee joint is affected by arthritis. The advantages of this minimally invasive procedure include less postoperative pain, a quicker recovery at your home and less stiffness. During the surgery, damaged bone and cartilage are removed and replaced by an implant. Unlike a total knee replacement, all your knee ligaments are left intact and the knee is a more “normal” feeling knee.
“When you’re doing a partial knee replacement you’re taking away a very small amount of cartilage and bone, whereas with a total knee replacement you’re taking away a lot more,” says Gerard Engh, MD, Medical Director of the Inova Joint Replacement Center at Inova Mount Vernon Hospital. The outcomes, he says, are just as good or better as those for total knee replacement.
Back on His Feet
These days, Maloof is back to walking his Doberman several miles a day and, during recovery, was actively engaged in physical therapy sessions three times a week.
“I would recommend the procedure highly to anyone who has knee problems,” says Maloof. “You just recoup and take the time for the physical therapy, and everything will work out.”
