A New Approach to Joint Replacement

Last April, Brookings Health became the second facility in South Dakota to offer Mako robotic-arm assisted joint replacements. Now area patients are reaping the benefits of this advanced technology close to home.  

Katie Hoogwerf of Volga used to have a lot of pain in her right knee.

“I had this knee pain for a year, but it was about the last six months that I really couldn’t walk,” explained Katie. “I could not even walk a block. We live less than a block away from church. We had to drive.”

Katie knew she had to do something for her knee. When she learned through Facebook about Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. Mark Mayer and the new Mako robotic-arm assisted surgery last spring, she was delighted there was a joint replacement solution for her in Brookings. 

“My husband doesn’t like to drive in Sioux Falls. If we go to Sioux Falls, he’ll drive down there, but in the city, I have to drive because he doesn’t like to. I knew after surgery I wouldn’t be able to drive.”

Mako robotic-arm assisted surgery is a new joint replacement approach that offers patient-specific implant alignment and positioning. It lets orthopedic surgeons more accurately place total hip, total knee and partial knee replacements. And it means shorter hospital stays and recovery times for patients. 

After attending a seminar and listening to Dr. Mayer explain how the Mako system works, Katie decided to schedule an appointment. Dr. Mayer first had Katie try a pain relief shot in her knee to see if that helped. The shot only lasted six weeks. At that point, Dr. Mayer and Katie decided it was time to operate. 

CT images allowed Dr. Mayer to create a patient-specific 3D plan for Katie’s knee replacement. By controlling the Mako robotic arm, he was able to place her new joint with a high degree of accuracy.

“After the surgery, I got up out of bed and I could walk with no pain. It was amazing,” said Katie. “People told me it would be that way, but you know, it’s hard to believe when you’re suffering with pain.”

Post-surgery, Katie is back to what she enjoys doing, including walking and going to the gym in Volga. 

“I can do a lot more. I can even cook and bake better than what I could because I couldn’t stand very long before. I can do everything now, including mopping the floor,” said Katie.

What was more, Katie and her husband felt they had a great experience with Dr. Mayer. 

“We thought he was one of the most caring doctors we had ever had.”

Thinking about joint replacement? Hear more from Katie and learn about Mako robotic-arm assisted procedures at brookingshealth.org/KatieH.