Technology × joint care

Where technology meets joint care.

For more than a decade, Dr. Nauman Akhtar has explored how robotics, navigation and 3D planning can make hip, knee and shoulder care more precise and more personal. Orthobotics is his guide to that work: how the technology works, what the research shows, and what it means for your recovery.

Explore the technology Talk with Dr. Akhtar
WashingtonianTop Doctor · Hall of FameEvery year since 2018
Northern Virginia MagazineTop Doctor2025 · 2026

Not ready for surgery?

Conservative care, first.

“Our first approach is always to do the more conservative thing,” says Dr. Akhtar. Many patients find relief without surgery, and these treatments can help you stay active longer.

Knee · hip · tendons

PRP injections

Growth factors from your own blood to calm pain and support healing. Knee

Gel injections

Hyaluronic acid to lubricate an arthritic knee. Knee · shoulder · tendons

Artery embolization

An emerging, catheter-based option for joint and tendon pain.

Is it time?

A two-minute self-check.

“I tell patients to think about what their arthritis pain is doing to their life on a daily basis,” says Dr. Akhtar. Tap each statement that's true for you.

Knee

The smallest operation that solves the problem.

When conservative care is no longer enough, the goal is the least surgery that gives you back full function. For knees, that starts with a robotic plan built from your own anatomy.

Mako · KneeMako robotic arm configured for knee replacement

Robotic-arm assisted knee replacement

Dr. Akhtar has used Mako robotic-arm assistance for more than a decade, for both partial and total knee replacement.

Partial kneeResurfaces only the worn compartment and keeps healthy bone and ligaments. “People get a much more natural feeling knee and that's part of the reason why they recover faster,” he says.
Total kneeFor arthritis throughout the knee. Implant alignment and position are planned in 3D from your CT scan, and the joint is balanced during surgery.
Robotic partial knee Robotic total knee

The method

Your knee gets its own plan before the first incision.

With Mako, Dr. Akhtar plans your surgery on a 3D model of your own joint. In the operating room he guides the robotic arm, which helps him carry out that plan.

  1. Scan

    A CT scan of your joint becomes a three-dimensional model of your bones. The plan starts from your anatomy, not an average.

  2. Plan

    Dr. Akhtar uses the model to choose implant size, position and alignment, and to balance the joint around how you move.

  3. Perform

    He guides the arm through surgery. Its tactile boundaries help keep the work inside the area he planned, which is designed to protect surrounding bone and soft tissue.

The Mako robotic arm in motionAnimation: Stryker

What the research shows

Precision you can measure.

Robotic and navigated surgery are among the most studied technologies in joint replacement. Here is what four well-known studies found.

Robotic total knee

77hrs vs 105hrs

Shorter time to hospital discharge

In 80 consecutive patients, robotic-arm assisted total knee replacement was associated with less pain after surgery, less need for pain medication and a faster return of knee function than conventional surgery.

Kayani B, et al. Bone Joint J. 2018;100-B(7):930–937. Prospective cohort study.

Robotic partial knee

80% vs 22%

Implants placed within 2° of the plan

Robotic80%
Conventional22%

In a randomized trial of 139 patients, robotic partial knee replacement placed implants more accurately in every measured direction. The figures shown are for the tibial component's sagittal angle.

Bell SW, et al. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2016;98(8):627–635. Randomized controlled trial.

Navigated hip

79%lower risk

Fewer hip sockets placed outside the target zone

Pooling five trials with 400 patients, computer navigation reduced variability in hip socket position and the risk of placing it outside the recognized safe zone (relative risk 0.21).

Beckmann J, et al. Acta Orthop. 2009;80(5):538–544. Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Partial vs total knee

As goodat 5 years

Partial knee matched total knee, at lower cost

In 528 patients with arthritis on the inner side of the knee, partial replacement was as good as total replacement at five years and more cost-effective. More partial knee patients said they would have the operation again.

TOPKAT trial, The Lancet 2019. Randomized trial.

Studies describe groups of patients treated by specific surgeons. Your own result depends on your condition, health and recovery, and Dr. Akhtar will talk through what to expect in your case.

Partial or total?

Your knee has three compartments.

“Some people may have just one or two compartments affected by arthritis, but the rest of their knee is healthy,” says Dr. Akhtar. Where your arthritis is decides which operation fits.

MEDIALLATERALPATELLOFEMORAL

Recovery

What the weeks after knee replacement look like.

Typical milestones after knee replacement, as described by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Your own plan may move faster or slower.

  1. Hours after surgery

    Moving the knee

    Most patients begin exercising the knee within hours and walk with a walker, crutches or cane soon after.

  2. Same day or next

    Home

    Some patients go home the same day. Others stay overnight in the hospital.

  3. First weeks

    Help at home

    Plan for help with cooking, shopping, bathing and laundry for several weeks.

  4. 3 to 6 weeks

    Daily life

    Most normal daily activities return. After total knee replacement, most people drive again at about 4 to 6 weeks.

  5. Long term

    Active again

    Walking, swimming, golf, biking, light hiking and dancing. Dr. Akhtar also suggests the elliptical, and limiting running and jumping.

Partial knee: patients usually spend little or no time in the hospital and resume regular daily activities by about 6 weeks.

Source: AAOS OrthoInfo, Total Knee Replacement and Unicompartmental Knee Replacement.

Hip & shoulder

The same precision, beyond the knee.

Computer navigation for hips and 3D planning for shoulders bring the same plan-first approach to every joint Dr. Akhtar replaces.

Navigation · HipSurgical navigation camera and planning display

Navigated total hip replacement

For hips, Dr. Akhtar uses computer navigation. A camera tracks instruments in real time and gives him live measurements during surgery, through a minimally invasive approach.

Socket positionLive feedback on the angle of the hip socket implant as it is placed.
Leg lengthMeasurements during surgery to help restore leg length and offset.
Navigated hip replacement
3D planning · Shoulder

Total and reverse shoulder replacement

Every shoulder replacement Dr. Akhtar performs is planned in 3D from a CT scan of your own shoulder, so implant size and position are set before the first incision.

Anatomic totalResurfaces the joint as nature built it. Often the choice for arthritis with a healthy rotator cuff.
Reverse totalSwitches the ball and socket so the deltoid can lift the arm, even when the rotator cuff can't.
Shoulder replacement Why reverse is growing
Portrait of Dr. Nauman Akhtar in a white coat
Nauman J. Akhtar, MD, MBALeesburg, VA

Your surgeon

Nauman J. Akhtar, MD, MBA

Dr. Akhtar is a board-certified, fellowship-trained joint replacement surgeon at The Orthopedic Group in Leesburg. He has served as Medical Director of the Total Joint Program at Inova Loudoun Hospital since 2010, building the program that earned Center of Excellence accreditation, and chaired the hospital's Department of Orthopaedic Surgery from 2019 to 2023.

He trained as the Aufranc Joint Reconstruction Fellow at New England Baptist Hospital, a Harvard affiliate, and was performing robotic knee surgery in Loudoun County by 2014, when he discussed it on WUSA 9. Washingtonian has named him a Top Doctor every year since 2018 and to its Top Doctors Hall of Fame, and Northern Virginia Magazine named him a Top Doctor in 2025 and 2026.

It's extremely important to get back to the things you love doing.
Dr. Nauman Akhtar
Medical school
Tufts University, MD and MBA
Residency
Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit
Fellowship
New England Baptist Hospital, Boston
Research
National Institutes of Health fellowship
Memberships
Fellow, AAOS · Fellow, AAHKS
Undergraduate
University of Michigan

In patients' words

Excerpts from five-star patient reviews of Dr. Akhtar, as posted on Google, Healthgrades and Vitals.

Dr Akhtar replaced both my knees… After the surgeries I am able to walk long distances without pain. I feel 30 years younger.
★★★★★Richard M. · Both knees replacedGoogle · 2026
What an incredible blessing to walk again without pain.
★★★★★Katherine · Both hips replacedHealthgrades · 2022
I had both hips done by Dr. Akhtar, and both were basically free of pain and minimal swelling after the operations.
★★★★★Horowitz family · Both hips replacedGoogle · 2026
Dr. Akhtar has replaced both of my knees in the last 14 months… My recovery was much quicker than I expected.
★★★★★Robert L. · Both knees replacedGoogle · 2021
Over the course of 2 1/2 years I had both hips replaced by Dr Akhtar… Zero complaints.
★★★★★Mike · Both hips replacedGoogle · 2026
He takes his time explaining the procedure and shows compassion for what you're going to go through.
★★★★★Diane R. · Total knee replacementGoogle · 2023
I had both Knees done by Dr. Akhtar. He is the best of the best. I now have my life back.
★★★★★Sue L. · Both knees replacedGoogle · 2021
He used state of the art techniques to perform a partial knee replacement.
★★★★★Patient · Partial knee replacementVitals · 2016
He has a wonderful bedside manner and truly cares about his patients. I couldn't be happier with my results!
★★★★★Dana C. · Both hips replacedGoogle · 2019
Pain, pain went away… oh my goodness, how my life has changed since having surgery.
★★★★★Lorraine M. · Hip replacementGoogle · 2018
Dr Akhtar is an amazing surgeon. Throughout the process he guided me through options…
★★★★★Mike M. · Knee replacementGoogle · 2025
What I found different about him is that he was transparent about the procedure and the expectations.
★★★★★Ayesha S. · Joint replacement consultationGoogle · 2020
Skilled Surgeon & wonderful bedside manner. DO NOT HESITATE to book your appointment as you are in great hands.
★★★★★Brenda L. · PatientGoogle · 2023
As a surgeon, I know talent… Refer my patients to him including my daughter.
★★★★★Wesley Harden III, MD · Referring physicianGoogle · 2018

Questions

Robotic surgery, answered plainly.

Does the robot do the surgery?

No. Dr. Akhtar performs the surgery. The robotic arm is a tool he guides, and it helps keep the work within the plan he made from your CT scan.

Is robotic surgery better than traditional surgery?

Research consistently shows robotic-arm assistance places implants more accurately and with fewer alignment outliers, and several studies report less early pain and shorter hospital stays. Whether that adds up to better long-term function and implant survival is still being studied. Dr. Akhtar uses the technology because it helps him carry out a precise, personal plan, and he will tell you plainly what it can and can't do for your joint.

Why does robotic surgery need a CT scan?

The scan is used to build a 3D model of your joint. Dr. Akhtar plans implant size and position on that model before surgery, and the arm uses it to guide the work.

Am I a candidate for a partial knee?

Partial knee replacement can be an option when arthritis is limited to one part of the knee and the ligaments are healthy. It is usually not suitable with inflammatory arthritis or significant stiffness. X-rays and an exam at your consultation will show whether it fits.

Am I too young for a joint replacement?

In Dr. Akhtar's words, the decision “has more to do with your symptoms, and less to do with your age.” If pain is limiting your life and other treatments have stopped working, it is worth a conversation.

How long does a joint replacement last?

“Modern hip and knee replacements usually last 15 to 20 years, depending on how you use them,” says Dr. Akhtar.

Can I go home the same day?

Some patients can have knee replacement as an outpatient. Whether that is right for you depends on your health and support at home, and you will decide it together with Dr. Akhtar.

Will insurance cover it?

Coverage depends on your plan. The office can help you check before surgery.

Press & perspective

On robotics, and on recovery.

Film · Inova

Dr. Nauman Akhtar discusses MAKOplasty

From Dr. Akhtar

Articles on joints, robotics and recovery.

Straight answers to the questions patients ask most, written and reviewed by Dr. Akhtar.

Deciding on surgery

5 signs it's time to consider a hip or knee replacement

Arthritis rarely announces the right moment. These are the signs I talk through with patients when they ask whether it's time.

5 min read Robotics & research

Robotic vs. traditional knee replacement: what the research shows

Patients often ask me whether robotic surgery is “better.” Here is an honest summary of what the evidence shows, and where it is still catching up.

6 min read Knee

Partial or total knee replacement? What 10 years of data tell us

Many people assume a bad knee means a total knee replacement. For the right patient, a partial replacement can be the better operation.

6 min read
All articles

Request a consultation

Find out what precision could mean for your knee, hip or shoulder.

Bring any recent X-rays or MRI reports. You will leave with a clear answer on your options, including treatments that don't involve surgery.

Book with The Orthopedic Group
Dr. Akhtar's direct line(571) 209-1875
OfficeThe Orthopedic Group
19450 Deerfield Avenue, Suite 200
Leesburg, VA 20176
Practice groupProud member of Loudoun Medical Group
AffiliationsInova Loudoun Hospital
Loudoun Ambulatory Surgery Center
StoneSprings Surgery Center
Point of Rocks Surgery Center