When she retired 10 years ago, Leicester-born Diane Teeling (pictured), aged 68, now from Finham, still wanted to enjoy activities like cycling, yoga and swimming, as well as looking after her grandchildren.
But her health deteriorated to the point she was unable to do anything, felt constantly fatigued and relied daily on painkillers.
Diane said: “I was hobbling everywhere like a little old woman; I couldn’t even manage the school run as getting in and out of the car was problematic.
“Prior to the op I was unsteady and stooped when walking. Walking was very laboured and exhausting, and I put the fatigue down to arthritis in my hip.”
Eventually, Diane decided it was time to act and signed up for Mako® surgery led by Mr Bryan Riemer, Consultant Orthopaedic Arthroplasty Surgeon at The Meriden Hospital in Coventry.
Mr Riemer has extensive experience in hip and knee replacement surgery and is a local expert in robotic assisted joint replacement surgery having been performing them for over four years.
Diane underwent robotic hip replacement surgery by Mr Riemer using Mako® - a unique robot designed to aid and improve surgical precision in hip and knee replacement surgery.
And the results have been spectacular with Diane feeling it has given her a brand-new lease of life.
She said: “Once I’d healed from the operation I felt I had my life back. I am back to doing all of my activities again: yoga, swimming, walking, cycling and can take the grandchildren to and from school. I can lead a busy life again, all thanks to this surgery.”
Mako® robotic surgery assists the surgeon by accurately replicating the patients existing joint. It uses the patient’s CT scan and a 3D model of the patient’s knee or hip to allow the surgeon to replicate the patient’s anatomy far more accurately than traditional techniques.
Mr Riemer said: “The Mako® robot aids surgery ensuring that the joint replacement components are implanted exactly as planned.”
He continued: “The enhanced technique in hip replacement surgery allows me, as the surgeon, to place the femoral component to the precise depth (leg length) and version (rotation angle) to recreate the patient's original hip joint anatomy.”
Throughout the process, though, the surgeon is still in full control. He explained that in hip replacements, the Mako® holds the reamer (tool to prepare the socket) and the acetabular shell (socket) at the precisely planned angle, so that the socket is implanted to the exact planned degree and millimetre. In knee replacement surgery, the robot removes the precise amount of bone so that the knee can be implanted exactly as planned.
Mr Riemer added: “It is not an independent functional robot: the Mako® assistant is a hydraulic arm like those used in car factories. The Mako® robotic arm holds the saw or reamer which the surgeon then controls. It assists the surgeon in getting the correct angles by holding equipment precisely, but I still need to do the operation.”
“The patient will have a standard incision and in hip replacements a smaller second incision over their iliac crest (part of the pelvic bone), but this is the only difference.”
“Mako® robotic-assisted surgery involves the same hip or knee implant being put into their joint, just with more accurate placement.”
Diane admitted that she was apprehensive about the surgery, but that Mr Riemer put her at ease by being very calm, patient and understanding and answering all her questions.
She said: “He explained I had to have a CT scan to measure the length of my leg, so the robot knew where to cut to remove the head of my femur.
“It removed the guesswork from the surgeon on where to cut and improved the chances of both legs being equal length and reducing the chances of being left with a limp.
“I was a nurse and quite cynical of surgeons, but I’d met Mr Riemer previously when my husband had a knee problem after he was recommended by a friend who was pleased with his hip replacement.”
Mr Riemer added: “Anecdotally the robotic patients seem to have less pain, get moving quicker and seem to get back to normal sooner. I have had some patients have their second hip or knee done robotically and they seem to find it better.”
Mr Riemer was the principal investigator for studies done on behalf of the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NHIR) providing funding to study robotic joint replacement surgery. The Robotic Arthroplasty: a Clinical and Cost Effectiveness Randomised controlled trial (RACER trials) results will be released in the Summer and are eagerly awaited globally, as the largest trial in robotic orthopaedic surgery.
Already published research has indicated there is less post-operative pain for the first six to eight weeks with less reliance on painkillers following robotic assisted joint replacement surgery.
For Diane, who was back on her feet again after six weeks, the recovery was fast, and she felt back to her old self very quickly.
Mr Riemer said: “When I reviewed Diane at six weeks, she told me she was swimming this morning, and she had been for a bike ride on the day she saw me. She attended without any walking aids and felt as though she was walking faster than before the surgery.”
Diane agreed saying: “Within two weeks of my surgery in May, I was on crutches. Within a month I was back swimming. In July I cycled to a music festival and held my granddaughter up to see the stage. In July, when I was discharged, I went to France for a biking holiday and then began using the leisure centre for fitness. I was back doing my yoga by August.”
She added: “To have it done privately and under Mr. Riemer was one of the best decisions I’ve ever taken. After nine weeks I was doing everything and more. Movement was so much easier, cycling was less effort, yoga was a work in progress, but the nature of yoga is that your practice is always improving. My stature has improved beyond what I expected. I’m now back on my feet, walking is pleasurable.
"I feel 100 per cent better and my quality of life has improved dramatically.
“The reason I went privately was because having seen the GP who said my hip needed replacing, I couldn’t wait for the timescale the GP had predicted as my life was so impacted by my arthritic hip.”
Mako® robotic surgery for hip and knee replacements is available privately for patients of The Circle Health Group at
The Meriden Hospital in Coventry.
Find out more about this surgery and the hospital by visiting https://www.circlehealthgroup.co.uk/hospitals/the-meriden-hospital/mako-robotic-arm-assisted-knee-surgery-in-coventry