"I've been playing golf since I was probably 30 years old, so probably 35 years,” says longtime athlete, Randy Woldberg, who admits there is some wear and tear on his body.
"I hurt my right knee skiing in 1980 and I had my first operation then and a couple after that. So it's bothered me since then." The pain has progressively gotten worse over time.
"I couldn't even walk to the tee box if there was an incline."
Randy scheduled an appointment with Great Basin Orthopaedics where he asked Orthopaedic Surgeon, Dr. Christopher Dolan about relatively new total knee replacement technology called ConforMIS.
The ConforMIS iFit Image-to-Implant process starts with a patient CT scan through the hip, through the affected knee, and the ankle. The information is used to create a three dimensional model that replicates that patient’s unique anatomy. From the 3D model of the patient’s knee, software is used to build the femoral and tibial implants to match the unique size and shape of each knee.
"It's made just for the patient; it fits only that patient's knee,” says Dr. Dolan. Since the alignment is more precise, the ConforMIS knee offers a more natural feel, he explains. There are ample benefits in the operating room, too.
"When we use this knee we remove less bone, there's less bleeding, it fits better, we don't have to drill into the femur, so all these things result in a quicker recovery."
Surgery runs anywhere from 40-minutes to an hour-and-a-half. In many cases, rehabilitation starts the same day. Randy was very diligent and aggressive with his rehab. "He wanted this implant and was the right candidate for it and he had a wonderful outcome as a result."
Randy even had his second knee replaced and feels better now than he has in a long time... especially on the golf course. "I can walk 18. I've walked 18 several days in a row. No pain, no swelling. It hasn't helped my golf game,” he laughs.
If you have questions, Dr. Dolan will be our Ask the Doctor guest on 2 News at 5 on Monday, March 4th. You can speak with Dr. Dolan between 5-6 p.m. by calling (775) 858-2222.
Northern Nevada Medical Center is also hosting a community lecture called ‘Customizing the Total Knee Replacement Experience with Conformis’ on
March 20th from 6-7 p.m. at its Sparks Medical Office Building located at
2385 E Prater Way, Ste. 201. RSVP at www.nnmc.com/events.
