RUTHERFORD COUNTY, Tenn. (WGNS News) - A revolutionary approach to total knee replacement is actively changing the landscape of recovery for patients suffering from severe osteoarthritis in Middle Tennessee. Dr. Jeff Peterson, a highly specialized surgeon operating within Rutherford County, is utilizing a groundbreaking surgical technique known as the "Jiffy Knee". Brant Bell, a local healthcare executive, told WGNS News... Bell is the founder and CEO of Thrive Orthopedics, which recently opened a new location inside Murfreesboro Medical Clinic on Garrison Drive.

Unlike traditional knee replacements that require severing major muscles and tendons to access the joint, this advanced procedure entirely avoids cutting through those critical soft tissues... By keeping the muscular structure intact, patients experience a drastic reduction in postoperative pain and stiffness, fundamentally altering what is usually a grueling rehabilitation process.

Due to the technique of surgery, patients who choose the procedure performed by Dr. Peterson typically require less medication after the surgery...

Traditional knee arthroplasty generally requires an incision directly through the quadriceps tendon, leading to extended physical therapy and significant downtime for the patient.... Avoiding certain muscles has a major difference in surgical recovery.

Johns Hopkins Department of Orthopedic Surgery, for example, describes muscle- and tendon-sparing knee replacement techniques. These procedures go beneath the quadriceps muscle and tendon, as opposed to splitting them, equaling less down-time.

Bell told WGNS that because the structural integrity of the leg muscles are preserved, individuals undergoing this advanced operation are often able to return home on the exact same day as their surgery.

The benefits extend far beyond a shorter hospital stay; patients recovering from the Jiffy Knee procedure typically do not require heavy, narcotic pain medications to manage their discomfort. Furthermore, they regain their range of motion and return to their normal, active lifestyles at a much faster rate than those who undergo conventional joint replacements.

As Bell noted regarding the surgery, "The Jiffy Knee procedure actually avoids cutting through those soft tissues and allows the joint to be replaced so that you can recover much faster." This muscle-sparing technique represents a massive step forward for chronic pain sufferers who have delayed necessary medical care out of fear of a long, painful surgical recovery.

MORE - Today, traditional knee replacements in general are commonly done either as same-day outpatient surgery or with a one-night hospital stay. Same-day discharge has become much more common than it was years ago. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons says patients now often either go home the day of surgery or stay one night. Patients undergoing the Jiffy-Knee procedures, go home the same day around 95% of the time, according to Bell.

More Details and Podcast: For more details on the procedures and patients that Thrive works with on a daily basis, tune-in to the WGNS Podcast we recorded with Bell, the founder of Thrive. Hear the entire podcast HERE. The location of Thrive is on the main MMC campus in Murfreesboro, located at 1272 Garrison Drive (Murfreesboro, TN 37129).