New total knee transplant procedure changes Fort Valley woman’s life

She said she feels like a new person. She remembers the time before her surgery being difficult to get around. 

“Just to go to the grocery store was depressing. It hurt so bad to go to the store,” explained Magill.

That changed after she spoke with Dr. Bill Barnes at the Piedmont Orthopaedic Complex in Macon.

He told her about a new total knee replacement procedure that uses a 3-D printer to create a customized implant for the patient.

Doctor Barnes explained the traditional method for a total knee involve shaping the patient’s knee to fit an existing implant design.

He explains the custom implants save a lot of the patient’s existing bone because doctors don’t have to shave it down to make it fit an existing implant.

Although there’s no official data comparing recovery times, Dr. Barnes believes custom knee implant patients recover quicker.

He also thinks the ligament stability is the key reason the total joint will last longer.

Dr. Barnes adds it takes about six weeks for patients to receive the implants after they have been scanned.

He also said hospitals save money on these procedures because they don’t have to sterilize as much equipment.