Why I Choose Robotic Knee Surgery for Most of My Patients: A Surgeon’s Honest Perspective

By Dr. Jatinder Singla — MBBS, MS Orthopaedics, MCh Orthopaedics | Co-founder & Director, COJRI Chandigarh

I have been performing knee replacement surgeries for over 18 years. I have done more than 3,000 procedures — from straightforward primary replacements in patients in their sixties to complex revision cases in people whose first surgery, done elsewhere, did not deliver the outcome they were promised.

In all those years, one thing has changed my surgical practice more profoundly than anything else: robotic assistance.

This is not a marketing article. I want to explain, surgeon to patient, why I now choose robotic-assisted knee replacement for the majority of my cases at COJRI in Chandigarh — and what that decision actually means for you as someone considering this surgery.

The Problem I Was Trying to Solve

Before I started using robotic systems, I was a skilled surgeon using conventional instruments. I placed implants carefully. My outcomes were good. But there was always a variable I could not fully control: the precision of the bone cuts.

In conventional knee replacement, even in experienced hands, the implant position can be off by 2–3 degrees. That sounds small. But over the life of a knee implant — which should last 20 years or more — a 2-degree misalignment changes how the implant wears. It changes how the knee feels when you bend it. It changes your gait. And it significantly increases the chance that you will eventually need a revision — a far more complex and demanding second surgery.

I had seen this in my own patients over the years, and I had seen it very clearly in revision cases referred to me from other centres across the Tricity region. The implants were not broken. They had simply been placed with a degree of imprecision that conventional surgery could not always avoid — and that imprecision had a cost.

What Robotic Surgery Actually Does

When I use a robotic system for a knee replacement, I begin several days before the operating theatre. A CT scan of your knee is taken and fed into planning software that builds a 3D model of your specific joint. I plan exactly where the implant needs to sit — the angles, the depth, the rotation — for your anatomy. Not a generic anatomy. Yours.

In the operating theatre, the robotic arm does not perform the surgery. I do. What the system does is constrain my instruments to the planned boundaries. If I move outside the planned zone, the system resists. The bone cuts happen within 0.5 millimetres of the plan. Every time.

The result is an implant that fits the way it was designed to fit. Aligned the way it needs to be aligned. And in my experience with patients in Chandigarh, Mohali, and Panchkula, that precision translates into recoveries that feel more natural, knees that bend more freely, and patients who stop thinking about their knee sooner.

What I Tell Patients Who Ask Whether They Need Robotic Surgery

Patients frequently ask me directly: “Doctor, do I actually need the robotic option, or is it just more expensive?” It is a fair question and I answer it honestly.

For most patients requiring total knee replacement — particularly those who are active, younger than 70, or have any degree of deformity or complex anatomy — I recommend robotic assistance without hesitation. The precision benefit is real, the recovery tends to be more comfortable, and the long-term implications for implant survival are genuinely significant.

For a small number of patients with very straightforward anatomy and no deformity, conventional instrumentation in experienced hands can also produce excellent results. But given that the margin for error in conventional surgery is wider than most patients realise — and given that I have performed enough revision surgeries to know what the consequences of misalignment look like — I lean robotic when the option is available.

The Recovery Difference I Have Observed

One of the things I find most telling is what my patients say in their first post-operative follow-up. Robotic knee replacement patients at COJRI consistently describe a knee that feels more natural and less mechanical from early in recovery. This is not placebo — it reflects what we know about well-aligned implants. When the implant is positioned correctly, the surrounding muscles and ligaments adapt more easily. Movement patterns normalise faster. Physiotherapy progresses more smoothly.

I have had patients from Mohali who were walking independently with minimal aid at 3 weeks. I have had patients from Panchkula who returned to light gardening at 8 weeks. These are not guaranteed outcomes — individual variation exists, and underlying health conditions matter — but they are consistent enough that I have changed how I discuss recovery expectations with my patients.

A Note on Cost and Accessibility

I am aware that robotic knee replacement costs more than conventional surgery. I would rather be transparent about this than pretend the difference does not exist. The additional cost reflects the CT scanning, the robotic system usage, and the planning time involved. For patients where insurance covers the procedure, this difference is often absorbed. For those paying out of pocket, it is worth a direct conversation with my team about the genuine clinical case for robotic assistance in your specific situation.

What I will say is this: the cost of a revision surgery — if misalignment eventually necessitates one — is considerably higher, in every respect, than the additional investment in a well-planned primary procedure.

Frequently Asked Questions I Hear in My Consultation Room

Is the robotic arm performing my surgery?

No. I am performing your surgery. The robotic system provides me with real-time guidance and constrains the instruments to the pre-planned boundaries. The surgical decisions, the pace, and the execution are entirely mine. Think of it as precision navigation — like GPS for the operating theatre.

Does robotic knee surgery take longer?

The initial set-up takes slightly longer, but the operative time for the bone cuts is often similar or shorter because the planning is done in advance. Total theatre time is comparable to conventional surgery in my practice.

Is robotic knee surgery available in Chandigarh?

Yes. We offer robotic-assisted knee replacement at COJRI, serving patients from Chandigarh, Mohali, Panchkula, and across Punjab and Haryana.

Who is a good candidate for robotic knee surgery?

Most patients requiring total knee replacement are candidates. Patients with significant deformity, previous knee surgery, or complex anatomy benefit most from the planning advantages robotic systems offer. I assess this individually for every patient in consultation.

What is the difference between AI-based and robotic knee replacement?

The terms are sometimes used interchangeably in marketing. Genuinely AI-assisted systems incorporate machine learning to analyse surgical data and optimise planning. Robotic assistance refers to the physical guidance system in the operating theatre. At COJRI, we use systems that combine advanced pre-operative planning with robotic execution to deliver the precision benefits described in this article.

If You Are Considering Knee Replacement in Chandigarh

If you are living with knee pain that is no longer manageable with physiotherapy or medication, I would encourage you to come in for an assessment before making any decision. Not every painful knee needs replacement surgery — there are patients I see regularly who I advise against surgery at this stage. But for those who do need it, the difference between a conventionally placed and a robotically placed implant can shape the next two decades of your life.

My team at COJRI is available for consultations from across the Tricity region. Book your assessment today and let us look at your knee together.