Mako Robotic Partial Knee Replacement

What is a partial knee replacement?

The knee has three compartments — medial (inside), lateral (outside), and patellofemoral (kneecap). When arthritis is limited to one compartment with healthy ligaments, a unicompartmental replacement resurfaces only that compartment with a small implant, leaving the rest of your native knee untouched.

Why patients choose it

Compared with total knee replacement: a smaller incision, less blood loss, faster recovery, and — because your cruciate ligaments are preserved — a knee that feels more like your own. Studies consistently show higher patient-reported “forgotten joint” scores for well-selected partial knees.

The Mako difference for partials

Implant positioning tolerance in partial knee replacement is tight — small errors matter more than in total knees. That’s exactly where robotic execution shines: your CT-based 3D plan is delivered by the robotic arm within fractions of a millimeter, protecting the compartments being preserved.

Candidacy & recovery

The ideal candidate has single-compartment arthritis, intact ligaments, and correctable alignment — Dr. Pettit confirms this with X-rays, exam, and the pre-operative CT. Recovery is brisk: walking day one, many patients off assistive devices in two to three weeks, and return to low-impact sport over two to three months.

Pain control after surgery

If surgery is the right choice, Dr. Pettit builds pain control around Journavx (suzetrigine) — the first new non-opioid prescription pain medicine in decades — paired with a nerve block, scheduled Tylenol and an anti-inflammatory. Most patients use little or no narcotic medication, which means clearer thinking, less nausea and an earlier return to normal activity. Journavx before surgery (PDF). Read how Dr. Pettit approaches Mako partial knee replacement →

Frequently asked questions