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Joint Replacement


 

Hip Replacement

When it comes to hip replacement surgery, there are a number of procedure options and only your doctor can tell you which is right for you. Age, activity level, Body Mass Index, etc. are all factors in determining which hip replacement you will be best suited for.

Hip replacements are a highly effective and efficient way to treat arthritis of the hip, either from wear and tear or from the effects of trauma in many patients. Hip replacement has been around for several decades and has proven to be a quality way to alleviate pain and suffering and increase mobility and function in patients who suffer this affliction.
Total hip replacement, or hip arthroplasty, is a common orthopaedic surgical procedure to help patients overcome pain caused by arthritis, trauma or overuse. Your surgeon will detach muscles and tendons from the hip, remove damaged bone and soft tissue, then insert a medical-grade implant.

Anterior Hip Replacement

Traditional surgery involves an 8-12 inch incision on the side or back of your leg. The Anterior procedure uses a 3-6 inch incision on the front of your leg. This allows your surgeon to have an optimized view of your hip joint during surgery. Using a special operating room table and special surgical techniques and equipment, the hip can be exposed and prepared with less muscle dissection and cutting.

This procedure also allows your surgeon to preserve the tissue that keeps your joint tight, which reduces the risk of dislocation after surgery. The backside of the hip is left intact allowing its thick capsule, muscular and ligament attachments to stabilize the hip. Sitting, driving a car, crossing your legs and doing other day-to-day activities are not affected by the risks of destabilizing the backside of the hip joint. The anterior approach does require removing the front side of the hip capsule, but most daily activities do not stress that ligamentous band of tissue.

Benefits of the Anterior Hip Replacement

  • Accelerated recovery time and reduced pain, due to the minimal trauma to muscles, tendons and nerves.
  • Reduced scarring from the use of a smaller incision than with traditional total hip replacement.
  • More rapid stability of the hip, because the muscles are not disrupted during the procedure.
  • Reduced postoperative restrictions on movement.
  • Some patients see a shorter hospital stay.
  • Less likely to experience limb length differences.

Knee Replacement

If nonsurgical treatments like medications and using walking supports are no longer helpful, you may want to consider total knee replacement surgery. Joint replacement surgery is a safe and effective procedure to relieve pain, correct leg deformity, and help you resume normal activities.

Knee replacement surgery was first performed in 1968. Since then, improvements in surgical materials and techniques have greatly increased its effectiveness. Total knee replacements are one of the most successful procedures in all of medicine. According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, more than 600,000 knee replacements are performed each year in the United States.

Hip or Knee Revision Surgery

Over time, the components used in your total hip or knee replacement surgery may need to be replaced. The most common causes of revision surgery include dislocation of the original prosthesis, prosthetic wear, loosening of the implants, infection, bone loss, instability or stiffness of the joint. Pain in the joint may be the primary indicator, and by identifying the cause for pain will increase the likelihood that revision surgery will be successful.

Hip revision surgery is performed to repair an artificial hip joint that has been damaged over time. Many patients may find that hip revision surgery improves mobility, strength and coordination of the torso and leg.

Your knee replacement, or arthroplasty, involved your surgeon replacing the surface of your bones.  Although rare, if any of these components have aged and are the source of pain, a revision surgery may be needed. This can vary from a simple spacer exchange to changing one or all of the components. Extra bone or cadaver bone may be needed to make up for any bone loss.

Shoulder Replacement

In shoulder replacement surgery, the damaged parts of the shoulder are removed and replaced with artificial components, called a prosthesis. The treatment options are either replacement of just the head of the humerus bone (ball), or replacement of both the ball and the socket (glenoid). You and your surgeon will discuss the best plan for your surgical replacement, but the most common types are:

  • Total Shoulder Replacement
  • Stemmed Hemiarthroplasty
  • Resurfacing Hemiarthroplasty
  • Reverse Total Shoulder Replacement

Ankle Replacement

For more information on Total Ankle Replacement, or Total Ankle Arthroplasty, click here.

Learn more about our protocol regarding dental procedures following joint replacement.

Joint & Bone Health, Knee Replacement, Hip Replacement, Wrist Pain & Hand Surgery

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