Orthopedic surgeons at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois, are among the first in the United States to perform a minimally invasive surgical technique for total knee replacement that can dramatically reduce pain and recovery time, with better early range of motion and improved knee function. The orthopedic surgery team at Rush used the experience and expertise gained from performing minimally invasive surgical techniques developed for hip replacement surgery to perfect this innovative technique.

This new method of total knee replacement can be performed as an outpatient procedure, allowing some patients to go home the very day of the surgery. The new procedure is performed through one small three- to four-inch incision (instead of the larger eight- to 12-inch incision of the standard surgical technique). This approach has the potential for dramatically reducing pain by sparing muscles and tendons that historically have been cut during standard total knee replacement surgery. Patients generally have a two- to four-week recovery time with the minimally invasive surgery, compared to the two to three months of recovery time with traditional knee surgery.

Learn more about minimally invasive total knee replacement surgery at Rush to assess whether you may be a candidate.