Samaris Davis, a cook for a kitchen in a city high school, had been knock-kneed all of her life, dealing with sciatica and pain from osteoarthritis that developed from the condition. After a couple of bad falls and procedures that quelled only some of the pain, a stranger’s kindness one day finally gave her a sign to move forward with surgeries that would change her life forever, helping her lose 100 pounds and feel better than she had in decades.

“An older women came up to me and said, ‘Miss, are you OK?’ She just saw the pain in my face,” Davis said. “Then I said, ‘Let’s do it.’”

Davis’s life-changing surgeries came in three waves. The first was gastric sleeve surgery, which would help get her ready for two surgeries with Michael J. Alaia, MD, professor in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at NYU Grossman School of Medicine and co-director of the Sports Medicine Fellowship at NYU Langone Orthopedics, to correct her severe knock-kneed condition. Dr. Alaia conducted realignment surgeries on each leg, six months apart. He methodically cut her thigh bone (femur) and her shinbone (tibia) and reoriented them using patient-specific instrumentation, precisely repositioning each leg to bear weight through the center of the knee as opposed to the arthritic portion on the lateral side (outside) of the joint.

Due to her young age, 39, these surgeries, called osteotomies, were a great option in lieu of knee replacements, which often have a life span. What’s more, replacements involve removing ligaments and meniscus, and in Davis’s condition would have removed well-functioning portions of her knee and cartilage.

“Osteotomy is a very traditional surgery and has been done for many years, but with the advent of patient-specific planning and protocols utilizing computer models, we can do it in less time, with less intraoperative radiation, and with increased accuracy,” Dr. Alaia said. “Not many centers around the country use patient-specific surgical planning, and we are just scratching the surface. Osteotomies require surgical precision. If we are using patient-specific guides and instrumentation for knee replacement, why shouldn’t we use them for these procedures as well?”

After Davis recovered from her surgeries, she went on to lose a total of 100 pounds and became more active and social than ever. She began to go out more, bowling and exercising, and has a new boyfriend.

“This changed my life. I’m emotional about it,” she said. “I want my next 40-plus years to be healthy and good.”

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Marlene Naanes
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