After Two Knee Replacements, Easton Woman Feels as Good as New

When it came to knee problems, this wasn’t Dede Orey’s first rodeo. After she got the right knee replaced in 2019, she knew a similar procedure for the left one was inevitable.

“I have osteoarthritis,” says the 65-year-old Easton resident. Osteoarthritis is a degenerative bone disease where the cartilage tissue at the end of bones wears away.  By the time she had her right knee replaced, she was in great pain.

“At that point, it was virtually bone on bone in my knee,” Orey says. “The bones were splintering. I had put it off for so long and I couldn’t take it anymore.”

After more than a year of seeing a rheumatologist and getting cortisone shots to cope with the pain, Orey finally sought out Lehigh Valley Orthopedic Institute orthopedic surgeon Jonathon Brown, DO, with LVPG Orthopedics and Sports Medicine–Hecktown Oaks, in 2019. He quickly recommended joint replacement.

“It was a classic case, nothing unusual at all,” Brown says. “The replacement for her right knee was done manually. Dede did a fantastic job. Her recovery went very well.”

Brown told Orey she would likely be seeing him again at some point about the other knee. His premonition came to pass in February 2022.

“I knew what to expect this time,” Orey says. “When the pain came in my left knee, I knew nothing I could do would keep me from getting it replaced. Everything went so well with the first one, I didn’t hesitate to contact Dr. Brown.”

Brown says that once again, there was nothing unusual in Orey’s case. The only difference was his surgical technique.

“We did the second one robotically,” Brown says. “The initial manual procedure went very well, and Dede recovered nicely. But robotic-assisted surgery allows us to be very precise. We were able to recreate what we did in the first procedure with almost no variation.”

Orey’s surgery was one of the first robotic knee cases performed in the state-of-the-art surgical suite at Lehigh Valley Hospital–Hecktown Oaks. Brown used Mako SmartRobotics™ System, a robotic-arm assisted technology, which permits the orthopedic surgeon to use a three-dimensional model of the knee joint to observe bone structure and disease severity before placing the implant. In Orey’s case, Brown was able to precisely mirror the left-knee implant. Lehigh Valley Orthopedic Institute utilizes six robotic knee systems across Lehigh Valley Health Network.

“By being more precise, we can tailor the operation more closely to the needs of the patient and theoretically can improve outcomes and satisfaction,” Brown says.

Overall, robotic knee replacements benefit patients by resulting in less pain, less need for inpatient physical therapy, reduction in length of hospital stay and improved knee flexion and tissue protection, resulting in better outcomes and faster return to normal activity.

Today, Orey is back at work as an assessment department clerk at Northampton County Courthouse, knowing her difficulty in getting around is now behind her.

“I would tell everybody dealing with the pain I was going through, don’t wait like I did,” Orey says. “I feel great now, thanks to Dr. Brown.”