Joint replacement changed more in ten years than in the previous forty

Implant position drives everything downstream — wear, stability, feel, longevity. Robotic platforms turn a personalized 3D plan of your joint into sub-millimeter execution, with live feedback on alignment and soft-tissue balance during surgery. Dr. Morton performed Hawai‘i's first robotic hip replacement, is certified on four platforms (ROSA®, MAKO, CORI, VELYS), and was the first surgeon in Hawai‘i fellowship-trained in robotic joint replacement. On Hawai‘i Island the plan is built from a CT scan of your own joint on Mako, the platform used for hip and knee replacement at Hilo Community Surgery Center. The deeper story lives on the technology page, robotic hip, and robotic knee pages.

How a surgeon reaches your joint determines how your first month feels. The modern answer is around muscle, not through it:

Two implant revolutions matter to patients. Cementless fixation: porous surfaces your own bone grows into — a living bond instead of acrylic grout, particularly valuable for younger, active patients. And smart implants: the Persona IQ® knee carries sensors that measure steps, speed, and range of motion, reporting recovery data to your care team daily. Dr. Morton placed Hawai‘i's first in October 2022; it is offered to select patients, case by case.

Technique only pays off inside the right system: opioid-sparing multimodal anesthesia (regional blocks, long-acting local anesthetic, scheduled non-opioids, iovera° pre-treatment), same-day mobilization, and outpatient discharge for qualified patients — walking within hours, home within 24. The rapid-recovery protocol details the arc, and lifetime implant surveillance keeps watch for decades after.