U.S. Senator Daniel K. Akaka (D-Hawaii) is resting comfortably at The Queen's Medical Center in Honolulu, Hawaii, after successful knee replacement surgery for his right knee on Monday.

Total knee replacement is a procedure in which the surfaces of the arthritic joint are removed surgically and replaced with prosthetic components designed to reduce pain and restore motion. After a period of intensive physical therapy, Senator Akaka has been encouraged by his surgeon, Dr. Thomas Kane, that his knee should regain excellent function. The Senator will recuperate at home and expects to return to Washington, D.C., when the Senate returns for business in late January.

Senator Akaka postponed surgery twice previously this year as adjournment dates for the first session of the 107th Congress slipped later into 2001. He opted to proceed this week after consultations with the Senate Democratic leadership on the Senate's remaining business. This surgery and physical therapy schedule will minimize interference with the Senator's responsibilities and agenda in the second session of the 107th Congress. Comprehensive energy legislation, welfare reauthorization, election reform, homeland security and bioterrorism measures, and the Native Hawaiian federal recognition bill are among the items expected to come before the Senate.