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MOREHEAD CITY, N.C. – Carteret General Hospital is the first in Eastern North Carolina to use robotic technology for some types of knee and hip surgery.
 
Morehead City resident Robin Hamm said she hopes her surgery gets her moving again. The pain in her right knee was becoming too much to bear.  
 
"It was really hard to work, it was hard to do just about anything because I was in constant pain, said Hamm.

So she turned to Dr. Thomas Bates of for a partial knee replacement and he had some high-tech help.

The robotic arm, known as RIO, is a computer guided robotic arm which surgeons use in makoplasty procedures. The technology allows for more precision in these delicate surgeries. With partial knee replacements, patients have less pain after surgery, smaller scars and they recover faster.
 
"The accuracy is improved by using the robotic arm anywhere from 5-6 times more so than doing it traditionally," said Bates.
 
The robot can also be used for hip replacements. It can help the surgeon head off the most common problem of dislocation all thanks to that computer precision.
  
"If you put the components in the safe zone, the hip will last longer," said Bates. "There's less of a risk of dislocation and we can get within that safe zone 100 percent of the time."
 
Hamm said she is happy with the results and eager to get back to a more active lifestyle. 

"Before this, I started riding my bike and I got up to two miles a day which I feel is pretty good," said Hamm.  "and I like to swim and I like to garden so I'm anxious to get back to all those activities."
 
If you'd like more information about makoplasty, Carteret General Hospital holds information sessions each month.  You can get more details by calling (252)808-6200.