It happened years ago, but for Buddie Wilson, it’s like it happened yesterday.
“The day I realized something was wrong with my knee was 20 years ago,” the 77-year-old Memphis, Missouri resident recalled. “I was in the airport in Atlanta, Georgia, walking through the terminal to get to my next plane and my left knee started clicking. It was painful.”
Soon after the airport incident, Buddie underwent arthroscopic surgery to remove damaged cartilage in his knee. His doctor at the time warned Buddie the arthroscopic surgery was not a permanent fix.
It took a while, but over the past several years, Buddie noticed increasing discomfort in his left knee.
“There would be an increase in pain and then it would get a little better. Pretty soon, it would be painful again.”
An x-ray showed that Buddie’s left knee was at the point where it was “bone-on-bone,” meaning cartilage in the knee joint had worn away and surgery was in order.
The search for a surgeon
Buddie knows healthcare; his wife is a nurse of 40 years, his son is an internal medicine specialist in northeast Missouri, and Buddie was a paramedic for 20 years and then head of the public relations department at Scotland County Hospital in Memphis.
Having been a patient of Blessing Health several times, Buddie went online to blessinghealth.org and selected Dr. Darr Leutz, board certified and fellowship trained orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist, for his knee replacement.
“I had also heard from other people about Dr. Leutz’s ability,” Buddie stated.
“When I saw Mr. Wilson, he had not only a crooked leg, but had very poor range of motion and was unstable because of the knee problem,” Dr. Leutz said. “After discussing the benefits, risks and alternatives with Buddie, I had my nurse, Dena Ohnemus, schedule a total knee replacement and get him into the Joint Replacement Program with our Coordinator Nurse Mayia Redd.”
“Dr. Leutz explained thoroughly to me what was going to happen,” Buddie said. “He told me things that would take place before and after surgery. I felt very secure with that. Being confident always leads to a better outcome in my opinion.”
Dr. Leutz performed Buddie’s knee replacement using the Velys robotic-assisted system. The system’s key features include optical trackers that communicate with a high-speed camera, and a robot-assisted device that Dr. Leutz uses to remove damaged bone with exceptional accuracy.
The two trackers are placed on the problem knee and communicate with the camera. This creates a 3D, real-time model of the patient’s knee. During the procedure, the data is updated continuously, enhancing the precision of the incisions made, and the balance of the replaced knee as the procedure progresses.
A knee replacement lacking proper balance and alignment leads to joint stiffness and instability.
“Velys helps me in resurfacing the bone with incredible precision, and with a balanced knee virtually every time, thanks in part to direct feedback from the robot,” the doctor said.
Additional benefits of Velys include less time in surgery, lower levels of pain due to greater precision, and a quicker return to normal function and everyday activities.
“All that is because Velys allows us to provide the patient with a game-changing level of surgical precision, and in the alignment and balance of their new knee. For Buddie, with the help of Velys, we were able to get his knee back into normal alignment and get his full motion back.”
In addition to Dr. Leutz, Buddie said he received exceptional care from the Surgery Department team.
“The operating room staff was wonderful. They were kind, loving and interested in me, the patient. I really appreciated that.”
Physician assistant Ciara Glenn of the Blessing Orthopedics and Sports Medicine team was involved in Buddie’s post-surgical care.
“The patient gets a team approach to each and every total joint replacement we do,” Dr. Leutz said. “That, combined with the robot, is the key to our success. “
Life after knee replacement
Buddie did post-surgery physical therapy in his hometown hospital. Memphis, Missouri to Quincy is about 150 miles roundtrip.
“Dr. Leutz suggested that, so I did not have to endure the travel. It worked out really well. I thank him for his advice.”
With his new knee, what’s next for Buddie?
“My wife told me I had to take her dancing. That’s still in the future. But it’s a plan.”
For more information on Blessing Health’s joint replacement care, go to blessinghealth.org/ortho.