Consult a Surgeon who Specializes in Arthritis
In order to decide if surgery is necessary, consult a surgeon who specializes in arthritis. A specialist will be able to provide you with all your options and can use their expertise to choose the right one for you.
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Surgical Options: Knee
Arthroscopy
By inserting instruments into the joint through small punctures, Arthroscopy can remove or repair damaged tissue. This will reduce or even eliminate pain and swelling from the joint and can even prevent future damage to the knee.
Total Joint Replacement- Replacing the Joint Surface
Joint replacement surgery of the knee has proven extremely successful at relieving discomfort and allowing patients to return to their normal activities. If you have significant degeneration of the your joints articulating surface due to arthritis or other condition your surgeon may recommend this procedure.
Total joint replacement is the replacement of the damaged cartilage found at the ends of the bones in your knee joint, not your entire joint as is commonly thought. These implants are made from metal alloy and polyethylene (plastic). Designed to significantly reduce discomfort and restore function, implants allow you to go back to a more active lifestyle.
A hospital stay is normally 3 to 4 days, with rehabilitation and walking starting the day after surgery. You will begin physical therapy while you are in the hospital. Physical therapy will continue for approximately 6 to 12 weeks after you leave the hospital.
Partial Knee Replacement
The knee is composed of three separate compartments. Osteoarthritis can sometimes develop in only one compartment of the knee, leaving the other compartments in relatively good condition. In such a case, the patient may be a candidate for a partial knee replacement. The usual names for partial knee replacement implants are unicondylar knee replacement or Patello-femoral knee replacement
Partial knee replacement resurfaces only the cartilage which is damaged, the advantage being that undamaged cartilage is preserved. Faster recovery time, less bone removal and a smaller incision (3 to 4 inches) are some of the benefits of this type of procedure. The major disadvantage is that a partial knee replacement may not last as long as a total joint replacement. To determine if this is the appropriate option for you, consult your surgeon.
Rebuilding Cartilage
In some cases a hole on the joint cartilage on the end of the bone may occur. There are various methods available to correct this problem. These methods are used mostly on younger patients with moderate or isolated injury to the cartilage.
Microfracture Arthroplasty
In order to promote cartilage to grow, microfracture arthroplasty uses an arthroscope to drill small holes into the exposed bone. This procedure is used only on small areas of damage and again these methods are used mostly on younger patients with moderate or isolated injury to the cartilage.
Direct Cartilage Transplantation
Direct cartilage transportation is the implantation of healthy cartilage into an area of damaged cartilage. Again, this form or treatment is for younger patients with only minimal defects, it is not for those with significant arthritis.
Growing Cartilage
Also reserved for younger patients with small defects, growing cartilage allows for cartilage cells to be harvested during an arthroscopic procedure then grown in a lab for future transplantation. These cells are then implanted into the damaged area.
Surgical Options: Hips
Hip Arthroscopy
Arthroscopy is a minimally invasive procedure that uses a 2 very small incisions (about 1 cm each) to go inside the hip joint to diagnose and replace damaged joint tissue. This procedure can be very effective in treating several hip afflictions without the ramifications of a total hpi replacement.
Total Hip Replacement
Your surgeon may recommend total hip replacement when non-operative treatments are not enough to treat your hip pain. Like the knee joint replacement implants, total hip replacement implants are made from metal alloy and polyethylene (plastic) and are used to resurface the joint. Newer implants with all metal ("metal on metal") or all ceramic ("ceramic on ceramic") articulations to replace the acetabulim (hip socket) are also available and are suitable for use in certain patients. Only your orthopaedic surgeon can determine what implant design and and implant material combination is best for you.
Total hip replacement replaces the upper end of the femur (thighbone) and resurfaces the acetabulum (socket). Hip replacement has been developed to eliminate as much discomfort as possible and to restore function total hip replacement will allow you to return to an active and pain free lifestyle.
Physical therapy including assisted walking usually begin the day after surgery. Your hospital stay is on average, 3 to 4 days. You will begin physical therapy while you are in the hospital. Physical therapy will continue for approximately 6 to 12 weeks after you leave the hospital.
Total joint replacement of the hip is a well proven and extremely successful treatment that has been shown to allow patients with arthritis and other conditions that affect the function of the hip joint to return to their normal activities and relieve their joint pain.