Why Implant Alignment Matters in Knee Replacement
Patients often ask how robotic knee replacement differs from conventional surgery. Robotic assistance can improve the accuracy and reproducibility of component positioning. Comfort and implant survival also depend on several patient, implant and surgical factors, and comparative evidence has not established a long-term survivorship advantage for robotic-assisted total knee replacement.
Robotic systems such as MAKO use a CT scan to build a 3D model of your knee before surgery. Every cut and every implant position is planned virtually, then guided in real time during the operation. The goal is not novelty for its own sake — it is reproducible precision, matched to your individual anatomy.
That said, technology is a tool, not a substitute for judgement. The decision to replace a joint at all, and the choice of implant, still rests on careful clinical assessment. Robotic assistance simply helps execute a good plan more accurately.
Reviewed by Dr. Chetan M. Dojode, FRCS (Tr & Orth) — 18 June 2026