Home to a revolutionary knee replacement technique
Year by year, activity by activity, Christine Ricciardi wore out the joint in her right knee. "I taught aerobics for more than a decade. I'm on my feet for 10 hours a day as a nurse. At one point, I even tore the cartilage in that knee."
When she could no longer stand the pain, discomfort and swelling, Ricciardi went to
Scott Schoifet, MD, orthopaedic surgeon and medical director of Virtua's Total Joint Replacement Program. The timing was perfect.
A minimally invasive approach
Dr. Schoifet recommended a total knee replacement for Ricciardi, and he was able to offer her the most advanced surgical technique available anywhere: a new minimally invasive procedure. Dr. Schoifet had become highly proficient in performing this new procedure. And, Virtua was designated as a regional teaching site.
Dr. Schoifet explains: "Unlike conventional knee replacement surgery — which requires an eight to 12-inch incision and the cutting of the quadriceps muscle — the minimally invasive technique requires only a three-inch incision and no cutting of the quadriceps. Benefits include far less pain, scarring and a much shorter recovery time. People often walk unassisted just 24 to 48 hours after surgery, and they're back to normal function in weeks, versus the months it used to take." Ricciardi adds: "I've been pain-free since the procedure; I am just amazed."
Local and global outreach
Currently, Dr. Schoifet is teaching the new minimally invasive knee replacement technique at Virtua Memorial and Marlton Hospitals. He is also traveling to places like the Mayo Clinic to demonstrate the intricacies of the new procedure, and physicians are traveling to Virtua from Belgium and Japan to learn the procedure.
"As word spreads about the many benefits minimally invasive knee replacement offers, it will become the standard, " says Dr. Schoifet.
For more information on minimally invasive knee replacement surgery, to make an appointment with a Virtua orthopaedic surgeon, or to learn more about physician training with Dr. Schoifet, call
1-888-Virtua-3.