Ladelle Lequerica’s Mako-Assisted Knee Replacement Story
Ladelle Lequerica has been a loyal patient of Dr. Riley Jones for years. She underwent shoulder surgery with Dr. Jones after sustaining a tennis injury when she was younger and then again in 2015 after a horse-riding accident. After many years with him as her trusted orthopaedic surgeon, she knew that she needed to see Dr. Jones about her worsening knee pain. Upon exam he determined she would benefit from a total knee replacement and referred her to his partner Dr. Jean Simard. Dr. Jones knew that Mrs. Lequerica would want the fastest recovery possible, and that was something Dr. Simard could provide with the MAKO Total Knee surgery.
Mrs. Lequerica met with Dr. Simard who confirmed that she needed a total knee replacement and suggested the MAKO Total Knee. Mrs. Lequerica appreciated Dr. Simard’s “no nonsense, honest and forthright” bedside manner.
According to Stryker, “the MAKO robotic arm decreases soft tissue damage and enhances stability during the surgery.” This decrease in tissue damage, compared with traditional knee replacement surgery, often leads to happier patients.
For Mrs. Lequerica’s part, she was walking without her walker within five days of surgery and was walking without her cane within two weeks. Physical therapy and use of a continuous passive motion (CPM) machine further helped shorten her recovery time in comparison to other total knee patients.
Since her release from care, Mrs. Lequerica has had no issues. “I recommend Dr. Simard to anyone needing a knee replacement and I will come back to him when it comes time to do the other knee.” However, she still has a strong loyalty to Dr. Jones and continues to recommend both physicians to anyone needing an orthopedist.