“In August our family rented a cottage in Muskoka and I got to water ski on Pine Lake with my grandkids cheering me on,” says Wendy. “Not bad for a 72 year old who had just had knee replacement surgery!”

““Before my surgery my knee was holding me back from life,” says Wendy. “A week after my surgery I could walk with my dog for 45 minutes every day, bend over to garden, do my housework, and ride my bike.”

Six weeks prior, Wendy had her right knee replaced at Humber River Hospital by Dr. Martin Heller. Her husband dropped her off in the morning for her 9:00am surgery and she met with Dr. Eric Wong, her Anaesthesiologist, who walked her through SKiP, the innovative approach to pain management used in Humber’s Same-Day Knee Replacement Program.

“Dr. Wong is a fantastic Anaesthesiologist,” says Wendy. “He explained everything that he was doing and showed me how the bottle attached to the catheter in my thigh would block pain for the next three days.”

When Wendy arrived in the operating room, Dr. Heller showed her “his new assistant”, the ROSA Knee System. During her operation, Dr. Heller used ROSA to robotically-guide his measurements, allowing him to more accurately position Wendy’s knee implant.

“At 10:20am I opened my eyes and I wasn’t in any pain,” says Wendy. “I was moved to recovery where I had a ginger ale, and not long after that my physiotherapist had me up and walking. We even did stairs! I was so amazed that my knee was working and it wasn’t even hurting.”

At 1:30pm that same day, Wendy’s husband picked her up.

The ROSA Knee System robotically guides surgeons during total knee replacements, allowing far greater accuracy in positioning.

By the next morning, Wendy was walking with a cane. She did the laundry and played with her dog. Dr. Wong called her every day to check on her SKiP catheter, which was still working to block pain sensation. On the second day, Wendy was feeling confident about her pain levels and asked her husband to help remove her catheter following Dr. Wong’s instructions. She felt great!

“Before my surgery I would walk the dog and my knee would sometimes lock up, freezing me in my tracks. It was excruciating. My knee was holding me back from life,” says Wendy. “A week after my surgery I could walk with my dog for 45 minutes every day, bend over to garden, do my housework, and ride my bike.”

By the time Wendy arrived at the cottage with her family six weeks later, she was feeling very strong. Watching her son and grandkids swimming and tubing, Wendy knew what she wanted to do.

“When I announced I wanted to ski, my son said ‘No way!’ but I knew I could do it,” says Wendy. “I said ‘hit it!’ and away we went. The water felt great on my legs – I’ll never forget how proud and happy I felt getting to enjoy that moment with them.”

“I’ll never forget how proud and happy I felt getting to enjoy that moment with them.” says Wendy.

How Surgical Innovation is Getting Patients Back to their Lives Faster

This wasn’t Wendy’s first knee replacement. In 2017, Wendy had her left knee replaced with Dr. Heller at Humber River Hospital, before the arrival of the ROSA Knee System, and before the SKiP nerve block was available. It was the same hospital, the same surgeon, and a completely different experience.

“After my first knee replacement, I stayed at the Hospital for a few nights and came home in a brace,” remembers Wendy. “I knew I would eventually need my right knee replaced but I was nervous and kept putting it off. But I was so amazed at how quickly I felt better after my robotic surgery this time.”