Robotic surgery to return to sport

After the recent commemoration of World Health Day, the public conversation once again focused on access to technologies that improve quality of life. In this context, trauma doctor Andrés Anania, a specialist in hip and knee surgery, explained how robotics is changing daily practice in the operating room.

He Dr. Andres Anania, who is a member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS)of the Argentine Association for the Study of the Hip and Knee (ACARO) and founder of Motion Clinic, already works with advanced systems such as Makoa tool that allows the intervention to be planned in 3D and executed with a precision that is impossible to achieve manually.

According to the specialist, robotics marked a before and after in joint replacements. The combination of digital planning and long-lasting implants expanded the horizon for young patients and active people. “The idea is no longer just to walk again without pain. The goal is to give you back the life you want to have.”he explained.

Anania highlighted that current implants can last 25 to 30 yearswhich allows intervention earlier without having to postpone the operation. «For a long time it was advisable to wait because the implants wore out quickly. Today that has changed. If you are 40 and need surgery, you can do it and continue with the sport you want,» he stated.

The traumatologist assured that there are documented cases of athletes who returned to football, tennis, martial arts and even the international level after joint replacement. “It is more common than you think,” he said.

The process begins with a tomography that allows us to create a three-dimensional reconstruction of the patient’s anatomy in conjunction with a team of bioengineers in the United States. This model is used to define the exact implant. «The robotic arm replicates that planning with an accuracy of half a millimeter and half a degree. Freehand is impossible,» he explained.

And he added: “The system gives you precision, but medical expertise remains central. It doesn’t replace you. It is a third arm that you manage”.

During surgery, the platform analyzes real-time data, scans the bone and allows micro-adjustments to achieve a fit identical to the original design. This impacts both the immediate recovery and the durability of the implant.

«As we make smaller incisions and release fewer structures, there is less pain and rehabilitation is faster. Sometimes we have to stop the patient because they want to advance too much,» he commented. In the long term, biomechanical accuracy reduces wear and tear. «There comes a time when the patient forgets that he has a prosthesis. He feels it as his own and returns to his normal life,» he concluded.