Milestone combines personalized robotic planning with a quadriceps-, muscle-, and ligament-sparing surgical approach
Lakeshore Bone & Joint Institute, a leading orthopedic practice in Indiana, is proud to announce that Daniel D. Li, M.D., a fellowship-trained hip and knee replacement surgeon, has completed his 50th robotic-assisted knee replacement using the Zimmer Biomet ROSA® Knee System. This milestone reflects LBJI’s continued commitment to advancing orthopedic care for patients across the Midwest by bringing leading technology, personalized surgical planning, and specialized orthopedic expertise close to home.
Dr. Li introduced ROSA-assisted knee replacement to the area in January 2026 at Franciscan Lakeshore ASC in Crown Point and Franciscan Health Munster. He was the first surgeon in Northwest Indiana to offer a knee replacement with the ROSA platform. Reaching this milestone reflects the rapid growth of a program built around planning each knee replacement for the individual patient and providing patients with a less traumatic approach to knee replacement surgery.
ROSA is a surgeon-controlled robotic platform designed to assist with total knee replacement. Before surgery, it helps create a personalized plan based on the patient’s anatomy. During the procedure, it provides real-time measurements that help the surgeon assess implant position, alignment, ligament balance, and knee motion.
“The robot does not perform the surgery,” Dr. Li explained. “I remain in control of every step. ROSA gives me more information than traditional instruments, which allows me to make precise adjustments during surgery.”
Dr. Li pairs ROSA’s real-time guidance with a quadriceps-sparing technique designed to be less traumatic to the knee. Rather than the standard midline approach through the front of the knee, which cuts through the quadriceps muscle and tendon, Dr. Li gently mobilizes and slides the surrounding muscles, tendons, and ligaments aside to reach the joint. This minimally traumatic, muscle- and ligament-sparing approach leaves more of the healthy tissue around the joint untouched.
“Technology is only part of the story,” Dr. Li added. “ROSA gives me live measurements based on each patient’s anatomy. I combine that information with a quadriceps-sparing approach. The goal is simple: perform the replacement accurately while disturbing as little healthy tissue as possible.”
Unlike some robotic knee replacement systems, ROSA does not require a preoperative CT scan. It can use standard imaging to support surgical planning. During surgery, the system also allows Dr. Li to evaluate how the knee moves and balances before finalizing implant placement.
These measurements matter because knee replacement is not a one-size-fits-all operation. Every patient has a different bone shape, limb alignment, ligament tension, and pattern of arthritis. The objective is to position and balance the replacement for that individual knee, with the goal of creating a stable joint that moves freely and feels natural.
“This 50th case is exciting because it represents 50 patients who received a knee replacement planned around their own anatomy,” said Dr. Li. “Patients should not have to leave Northwest Indiana to receive advanced joint reconstruction care. We have brought it here.”
Robotic-assisted knee replacement may be an option for patients with knee arthritis whose pain and loss of mobility have not improved enough with medications, injections, physical therapy, or other nonsurgical treatments. Treatment recommendations depend on each patient’s condition, health, and goals.
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