Interview with Dr. Ference: Get rid of your chronic knee pain

Dr. Robert Ference remembers the patient very well. She had been unable to walk without pain for three years because of rheumatoid arthritis in both knees. She came to Sinai-Grace Hospital, where Dr. Ference performed two total knee replacements for her, using an advanced minimally invasive surgical procedure. The result was a lot less pain and a much shorter recovery time.

“Within five weeks, she was walking. She was ecstatic and I was very pleased with the outcome,” Dr. Ference recalls.

If you’ve been suffering with “bad knees” because you’ve heard how uncomfortable knee replacement surgery can be, minimally invasive total knee replacement surgery can give you back your quality of life.

Imagine recovering in six weeks as opposed to six months. Dr. Ference is enthusiastic about the difference the procedure can make in a patient’s life.

“This is one of the most exciting things I’ve seen in my orthopaedic practice,” he says. “It is very rewarding and gratifying to have patients tell you they can’t believe how quickly they have recovered from their total knee replacement surgery.”

Not many doctors in the U.S. have been trained in the new procedure. It is called minimally invasive because the incision and instruments used are much smaller than in traditional surgery. Most importantly, there is much less injury and damage to the thigh muscle (quadriceps muscle) and knee cap than occurs in traditional knee replacement surgery.

Dr. Ference, whose expertise is known nationally, was trained by Dr. Peter Bonutti, the physician who developed the procedure. Dr. Ference’s patients have come not just from around the state, but throughout the country.

“We’ve had people come from Colorado, Georgia, Connecticut and many people from Florida and Ohio, and we’re actually getting a patient from Poland,” Dr. Ference said. Virtually everyone who needs a knee replacement or revision is a good candidate for the minimally invasive procedure, according to Dr. Ference. Because today’s knee replacements are expected to last from 20 to 30 years, they are very suitable for a wide range of age groups.

“We’ve done patients from age 24 to age 94, patients who weighed from 150 pounds to 415 pounds, and patients who’ve had conditions ranging from arthritis to severe deformities,” Dr. Ference said. “And we’ve been able to do them all through the minimally invasive procedure.” If chronic knee pain is affecting your life and limiting your ability to do the things you enjoy, you may be a candidate.

To learn more about the procedure, call Sinai-Grace’s total joint replacement center, Joint Plus Excel, at (888) DMC-2500.

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