Mako SmartRobotics is a new approach to joint replacement for people who need hip and knee replacements at MU Health Care.

If you are suffering from hip or knee arthritis, or are a candidate for joint replacement, Mako is one form of joint replacement that may have long-term benefits with how the new joint feels and moves.

What is Mako?

Mako is a robot-assisted technique for knee and hip replacement surgery that uses an innovative guidance system to help your surgeon give you the best possible result.

Before your procedure, your doctor creates a complete image of your joint using 3D computed tomography (CT) imaging. This image gives the surgical team a precise look at your individual anatomy and helps them align the new joint.

The Mako robot also uses this image to see your joint and uses programmed stop points to help your surgeon cut only where needed. By guiding Mako’s robotic arm within that predefined area set up using the CT scan, Mako helps keep your surgeon within those established guidelines of personalized treatment to align and place the new joint more accurately.

Benefits of Mako

By using CT scans preoperatively to personalize treatment, the goal of Mako’s surgical platform is to increase patient satisfaction in function after recovery.

Some patients may also experience:

• Less bleeding
• Less trauma around the joint replacement
• A shorter hospital stay
• Faster recovery time

Mako is one of several options for knee and hip replacement offered by our joint replacement experts. During consultation and preoperative appointments, your doctor will review all treatment options with you and help you plan your joint replacement procedure.

For more information about Mako, or to schedule an appointment, please call 573-882-2663.