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Samia Sobky is happy to have
“a new knee especially for me”

Samia Sobky enjoys gardening. But during last year’s growing season, Mrs. Sobky’s hobby was not as enjoyable as it once had been. Bending or kneeling to tend to her plants led to excruciating pain in her knee and began to limit not only her work in the garden, but other activities as well

Mrs. Sobky consulted a physician — her son, Kareem Sobky, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon with St. Louis Orthopedic Institute and member of the SSM St. Joseph Hospital of Kirkwood medical staff.

Dr. Sobky, along with colleagues in his practice, had only a few months earlier begun performing a new and innovative procedure that is revolutionizing how knee replacement surgery — or total knee arthroplasty — is performed.

Historically, knee replacement surgeries have taken a “one-size-fits-all” approach, which does not account for the uniqueness of the bones and ligaments that make up each individual patient’s knee.

Now, a new technique allows surgeons to provide their patients with “custom-fit” knee replacements that match the fit and placement of the total knee implant to the patient’s unique anatomy — essentially recreating the patient’s knee anatomy as it was before the onset of arthritis.

The technique is completed in a few simple steps. First, an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) is performed to take precise measurements of the patient’s unique knee. Next, with the help of special computerized software, a model is created and the implant is matched to the anatomically correct model, helping surgeons determine both the size of the implant needed and the exact position where it should be placed.

Using all this information, the knee replacement is customized and placed to give the patient the best possible outcome in terms of range of motion, stability and quicker recovery. The surgery time is shorter, and the procedure is much less invasive, with a smaller incision. It also eliminates the use of rods traditionally used to align the implant. This further reduces the risk for infection, bleeding and other potential side effects.

Just how confident is Dr. Sobky of this new approach? So much so that he recommended his mother as a candidate to have this innovative procedure.

“The custom-fit knee offers an alternative to what has previously been a cookie-cutter approach to knee replacement surgery,” says Dr. Sobky. “And the benefits to the patients are clear — I’ve had several of my patients say to me they feel they have their normal knee back, without the pain.”

Under the care of James Strickland, M.D., and Ryan Couchman, M.D., Mrs. Sobky successfully underwent the custom-fit knee procedure last fall. Only three weeks following her surgery, Mrs. Sobky no longer needed the assistance of a walker or cane. And she’s looking forward to gardening again this spring.

“I feel lucky to be able to have a new knee especially for me,” says Mrs. Sobky. “I couldn’t have had a better experience — from the surgery and my stay at St. Joseph Hospital to the therapists who worked with me throughout my recovery. I couldn’t have imagined that everything would go so well.”

Drs. Sobky, Strickland and Couchman, along with Wade Hammond, M.D., and Keith Odegard, M.D., at St. Louis Orthopedic Institute, are among only a handful of surgeons in the St. Louis area performing this innovative approach.