Patient Story

New Knee Puts Smile on Dentist's Face

As a dentist, Dr. Martin Ungerleider was on his feet up to six hours each day taking care of his patients. Although he was experiencing painful arthritis in his right knee, he put off total knee replacement surgery because he didn’t want to be away from his practice for several months while he recovered.

“I just kept going and tried not to think about it,” said Martin, 71, who lives in suburban New Jersey.

He’s always relished being active – enjoying golfing, exercising, walking, and traveling – so it was difficult when knee pain forced him to give up downhill skiing. When the pain persisted during a trip overseas, he decided to seek the advice of an orthopaedic surgeon.

“When the surgeon told me that I could have MIS Quad-Sparing TKA and be back to work in a matter of weeks, not months, I scheduled the procedure right away.”

Martin had the procedure and was back treating patients 17 days after the surgery. Other patients may experience different results based upon their own situation.

“Today, the range of motion I have in my right knee is much better and I feel great. I can hardly notice that I had my knee replaced,” he said.

Martin recently retired from dentistry after 43 years in practice, but he hasn’t stopped being active. Although he no longer goes downhill skiing, he exercises with a personal trainer, plays golf several times a week, walks, and travels extensively with his wife, Paula.

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* Quad-Sparing TKA outcomes depend on each patient’s personal circumstances. As with any total joint replacement surgery, the outcome can depend on individual factors like weight, activity level, bone quality, and how well the physical therapy routine is followed after surgery. Proper placement of the implants is also very important. All patients may not experience every potential benefit. These points should be discussed with the surgeon before the operation.