HealthNotes

“I’d never felt that kind of pain before,” the 68-year-old avid golfer relates. He cut that day’s game short and tried to play again a few days later. “I could only play two or three holes without severe pain, so I didn’t play anymore and went to see my doctor.”

Bowers’ primary care physician, Joseph Scherger, MD, MPH, referred him to Erik Schnaser, MD, at Eisenhower Desert Orthopedic Center. Fellowship-trained and Board Certified in Orthopedic Surgery, Dr. Schnaser specializes in joint replacement, performing 800 to 900 knee and hip replacements a year, including revisions.

An MRI revealed significant cartilage loss in Bowers’ left knee. Cartilage is flexible connective tissue that coats the surfaces of the bones in joints. It acts as a shock absorber that cushions the bones so they can move smoothly. With wear and tear over time, however, the cartilage can become damaged, resulting in pain from bone rubbing on bone. 

Based on the imaging results and Bowers’ symptoms, a total knee replacement was recommended. But this wasn’t going to be a traditional knee replacement operation — it was a less-invasive, robotically-assisted procedure.