The same total or partial knee replacement, planned in advance with 3D imaging and executed with robotic-guided precision, aimed at a more accurately balanced, personalised joint.
Robotic-assisted knee replacement uses the same implants as conventional total or partial knee replacement, but with the bone cuts planned on a 3D model of your own knee and carried out with the assistance of a surgical robotic system. The robot doesn't operate independently. Mr Chipperfield performs the surgery throughout, with the technology providing real-time guidance and guard-rails against unintended movement beyond the planned cut.
Every knee is a slightly different shape, and ligament tension varies from patient to patient. Robotic planning allows implant position and soft-tissue balance to be mapped and adjusted before a single cut is made, with the aim of a more consistently well-aligned, well-balanced knee, which in turn is associated with a more natural-feeling joint and potentially faster early recovery for suitable patients.
A CT scan or other imaging is taken in advance to build a 3D model of your knee, used to plan implant size and position. On the day, this plan is loaded into the robotic system, which guides bone preparation within the agreed parameters while Mr Chipperfield controls every cut. The rest of the operation, from anaesthetic to implant insertion and wound closure, follows the same enhanced recovery pathway as a conventional knee replacement.
Recovery follows a similar timeline to conventional total knee replacement, typically one to two nights in hospital, walking aids for several weeks, and a structured physiotherapy programme, though some patients report smoother early progress thanks to the more precisely balanced joint.
Not every knee replacement needs robotic assistance, and not every patient is a straightforward candidate. Suitability depends on your knee anatomy, deformity, and overall treatment goals, and is assessed properly at consultation rather than assumed in advance.