While the new technology adds another 10 minutes to the one hour surgery, it dramatically improves accuracy to within a tenth of a millimeter, Kimball said.

Such accuracy virtually eliminates the need for follow-up surgeries, said Dr. Bohannon Mason, who uses the procedure in Charlotte, N.C.

The physician training is a critical part of the process, said Van Ummersen.

DePuy has a policy for physicians using the Ci System — no train, no use, he said. The company has a training facility in Cincinnati where orthopaedic surgeons go through an intense two-day program to make sure the physicians are fully prepared and equipped.

Garner completed his latest surgery on July 20 and said his recovery has been great and painless.

"The machine has lined everything up so well, and I'm recovering so quickly," Garner said. "It's a good machine and I'm glad he had it and I'm glad I got to use it."

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