Home by Dinnertime After Hip Replacement Surgery

“All of that pain prior to surgery was gone on the first day,” says Rosanne Hartland, a 63-year-old nurse from Taylor. “I had pain for so long, a couple of months – now I no longer have any of it.”

Rosanne thought she had just a pulled groin muscle back in August of 2018. She worked through the pain – keeping at her normal, daily activities – until October, when it became too much to handle. An MRI revealed Rosanne had fractured her hip.

That’s when she decided to turn to Geisinger Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine. Learning she would need a total hip replacement, Rosanne’s orthopaedic surgeon John Mercuri, MD, explained she was a candidate for Mako® robotic-arm–assisted joint replacement surgery

“Dr. Mercuri explained how robotic surgery would work and how precise it is,” recalls Rosanne. “I watched a video on how it worked and how they would replace my damaged hip joint.”

Exceptional care at Geisinger

Before her surgery, Rosanne looked most forward to being able to play with her puppy again. She had mentally prepared herself to be off from work for about three months, but was surprised to hear that she would be back to work just two weeks after her surgery.

The effects of surgery were immediate and, just one week after surgery, Rosanne no longer needed her walker.

What is robotic-arm–assisted surgery?

Mako is a robotic surgical arm that can perform partial or total knee replacements and total hip replacements.

By using CT scan information, the system can create 3-D images of the joint and help doctors plan for the surgery. During the surgery, doctors can use Mako to prepare the bone, introduce the implant and ensure that it is balanced and fits well.

With 99 percent or better accuracy, it’s a minimally invasive, surgeon-controlled procedure that assists in joint replacement surgery for:

Partial knee replacement
Total knee replacement
Total hip replacement

“The operation was top-notch,” says Roseanne. “For anyone who’s thinking about getting this done, I’d like to put them at ease. From beginning to end, there’s absolutely nothing to fear.”

Moving past joint pain

Geisinger’s orthopaedic team specializes in treating a wide variety of bone, muscle and joint injuries and issues, including chronic joint pain, including hip pain and knee pain.

Backed by the expertise and innovation of a nationally-renowned healthcare system, our skilled orthopaedic specialists provide personalized care and leading-edge treatments to help patients experience less pain and faster recovery.