As people get older, they often wish they could easily replace their broken body parts with new ones. While technology hasn’t got to the point where limbs are being replaced with bionic parts, one Texas woman recently got the next best thing. The woman from Arlington became the first person in Texas to receive a “smart knee” replacement, giving her some added technology to help aid her recovery.
Recovering from a knee replacement can be a long and hard process, but new technology has emerged that could make it a lot easier to deal with. The new “smart knee” is a Bluetooth enabled implant that allows doctors and patients to track their recovery from a knee replacement through a smartphone app, according to NBC DFW. “The smart implant is an implant that communicates with the outside world, just like our smartphones or smartwatches, and even smart coffee mugs these days," said Dr. Om Patel, MD Baylor Scott & White in Frisco.
While Bluetooth has been used in pacemakers, hip replacements and spinal stimulators already, Lisa Herrick of Arlington was the first in Texas to have the new type of knee replacement. Now, the sensors in the device will help Herrick and her doctor track range of motion, step count, walking speed and other gait metrics. Soon everyone will be walking around with bionic parts.
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