You may remember Rosie the Robot, the android maid who made life easier for the futuristic Jetson family. While we may be a long way from having our own sophisticated maidbots, many area residents may still long for the simple joy of cleaning their homes themselves but can’t due to severe joint pains and aches. For Sheila Bainter, 71, retired local teacher, grandmother, and chronic-knee-pain sufferer, relief and independence were made possible with a different robot—ROSA—at Casper Orthopedics.
The ROSA® Knee System doesn’t talk or vacuum, but when wielded by fellowship-trained, board-certified orthopedic surgeon Eric H. Linford, M.D., the robotic technology offers precision and personalized surgical plans for a higher standard of care in knee replacement for local patients, including same-day procedures and minimized postop pain and recovery times.
Before surgery, even walking was very painful for Sheila. Today, she’s been back on her treadmill for over a month. “Especially with all this COVID going around, I want to be in really good shape, and my knee was preventing me from being physically active,” she said. “But now, I’m doing very well. I’m very pleased with it.”
ROSA, which stands for robotic surgical assistant, is designed to help surgeons perform total knee replacement with greater precision for exceptional outcomes for patients. Using a personalized surgical plan and real-time imaging and data during surgery, ROSA assists surgeons in removing all the damaged parts of the knee joint structure as well as in accurately placing the knee implant and assessing the soft tissues.
“The last time I went to see Dr. Linford, he showed me the X-ray, and my left knee is in really good shape,” explained Sheila. “It’s lined up perfectly and everything, so I was really impressed.”
Just months after her ROSA robotic knee replacement with Dr. Linford, Sheila has been able to get freedom from chronic knee pain and get back to an active, independent lifestyle.
“I’ve been able to get back to driving with ease, and I’ll be able to play with my grandchildren again—you don’t really realize how much you miss [your knees] until you don’t have them,” said Sheila. “I can even get down on my hands and knees to clean and scrub the floor, and when you have a knee replacement, that’s a very big deal. I feel like I can do just about anything I need to do.”
Sheila had previous experience with knee surgeries at Casper Orthopedics for complicated issues with her right knee, but this was her first procedure with Dr. Linford, who she said “was very caring and very friendly.” Sheila added that “I felt at ease all the time with him. If I wanted to ask I question, I felt like it would be answered and answered very well. He was a very good doctor; I really liked him.”
If you’d like to speak with Dr. Linford at Casper Orthopedics to see if you’re a candidate for a ROSA robotic-assisted joint replacement, request an appointment online or call (307) 265-7205 or (888) 317-2343.