Patient success story

Patient compares her own experience
with OtisKnee vs. traditional knee replacement

How does OtisKnee Custom Fit Knee Replacement compare with traditional total knee replacement? We asked Patricia, a 64-year-old arthritis patient who had a traditional total knee replacement on her right knee in 2004—and an OtisKnee Custom Fit Knee Replacement on her left knee two and a half weeks ago.

Before OtisKnee: ‘I just could not tolerate the pain’

“My left knee was full of arthritis,” Patricia recalls. “It was down to bone-to-bone. This past year was horrible. I'm a bus aide for handicapped children and I couldn't get down the bus steps. I had Synvisc injections and was on prescription pain medication and they did absolutely nothing. I thought, ‘Something has got to be done.’”

Then Patricia read a newspaper article about OtisKnee Custom Fit Knee Replacement. “I thought, ‘This is going to be a better knee replacement procedure,’” she recalls. She made an appointment to see Dr. William Stanfield.

“Patricia had high expectations for rehab and outcome,” Dr. Stanfield recalls. “She appeared to be a perfect fit for an OtisKnee. I saw the potential for a dramatic improvement in healing time over her traditional knee replacement.”

Comparing Patricia's recovery from OtisKnee Custom Fit Knee Replacement vs. traditional knee replacement surgery
Activity	After traditional knee replacement	After OtisKnee
Hospital stay	3 days	3 days
Using a walker	6 weeks	1 week
Using a cane	4 weeks	2 weeks
Climbing stairs	3 weeks	3 days
Stationary bike	5 weeks	1 week
Driving	5 weeks	2 weeks
Bending knee >90 degrees	2 months	2-1/2 weeks

Each patient's recovery is unique and depends on many factors. Patricia's case is presented here as an example of one patient's comparative experience with OtisKnee and traditional knee replacement.

How did Patricia's recovery times compare?

‘I was climbing stairs 3 days after OtisKnee’

Patricia is amazed at how much faster she is recovering after OtisKnee. “They never even got me on the steps until three weeks after surgery on the traditional knee,” she says. “With OtisKnee, I was on the stairs the day I came home from the hospital.

“I had surgery Monday and got in the shower on Wednesday,” she adds. “On the traditional knee, I was not allowed to go down the basement steps to shower for three weeks so I had to sponge bathe all that time.”

‘I had surgery on the 1st and drove on the 17th’

“I'm on the stationery bicycle; I'm on the treadmill, walking 10 minutes twice a day,” Patricia says, adding, “I'm really making progress! I'm so happy. I even drove the car yesterday—just two weeks after surgery.

“You cannot believe how I feel,” she says. “I feel so much better! There's a bit of soreness, but no pain.”

Less than three weeks after her OtisKnee surgery, Patricia is taking over-the-counter pain medication. “On average, I'm taking two pills a day,” she says. “After my first knee replacement, I felt like I lived on pain medication for so ungodly long.”

‘Most of the time, I don't even need a cane’

“After my OtisKnee surgery, I had a walker for only a week,” says Patricia. “I had my surgery on Monday, and on Tuesday they got me up with the walker. The following Monday I went to physical therapy and they said, ‘You don't really need that walker.’

“I used a walker a good six weeks after my first knee replacement,” Patricia recalls.

After Patricia's OtisKnee surgery, “I used a cane for two weeks at the most, but I don't need it,” she says. “I can't believe how wonderful I feel!

‘I can already bend my leg at 94 degrees!’

“This is my second week of physical therapy after OtisKnee and already I can bend my leg at 94 degrees,” says Patricia. “I couldn't do that with my first knee replacement for almost two months. It's phenomenal!”

‘I'm sleeping much better after OtisKnee’

Patricia says it's easier to get a good night's sleep after her OtisKnee surgery than after her traditional knee replacement. “They say the more sleep you get, the faster your knee will heal,” she adds.

“When I got my post-op x-rays, the tech said, ‘What a perfect fit! Look at the nice alignment you've got,’ Patricia recalls. “And I said, ‘That's exactly what I wanted.’”

Now Patricia is looking forward to attending a family reunion in North Carolina. “It will be so nice to walk without pain,” she says.