When Richard Kristoff was about 40 years old, his brother called him fat, launching a 45-year passion for running.

The Columbia native ran at least five miles a day, more on weekends, in pockets of time he found around his work schedule with Pratt & Whitney, where he spent 40 years as a tool and die maker and raising four daughters with his wife.

It was a sad day a few years ago when Kristoff had to slow his pace because his left knee hurt him too much. He hadn’t really thought about surgery much, just walked his route instead, until he attended a free information session on Mako knee and hip replacement being done at Windham Hospital.

“I listened to what he had to say. I thought I could do this!” Kristoff says of the presentation by Dr. Kevin Reagan, a Windham Hospital orthopedic surgeon.

In January, in outpatient surgery at Windham, Dr. Reagan replaced his worn left knee with a prosthetic.

“I literally walked out of there,” Kristoff says, astonished. “I took no pain medication at all.”

After going to physical therapy and “doing all the exercises” he was given, the great-grandfather says he’s amazed at what he can do, including taking long walks that started only a month after his surgery. He walks at least four miles every morning.

“I couldn’t ask for anything better,” he says in a break from his part-time job at Gates Buick. “I’m very, very pleased. I was on my knees planting bushes this morning!”

Stories like his are typical for the patients opting for Mako robotic-arm-assisted surgery with Dr. Reagan.

“So many people think they have to stop doing the things they love – like moderate exercising, gardening, golfing – due to joint degeneration,” he says. “Whether it’s a hip or a knee, Mako surgery is minimally invasive and can help them enjoy life again rather quickly.”

The technology, Dr. Reagan notes, ensures precise placement of the implant because the robot-assisted arm increases visibility during surgery. In addition, surgeons are able to plan individualized treatment for each patient

For more information on Mako hip or joint replacement surgery, click here.