Is a Total Joint Replacement Right for My Arthritis?
Osteoarthritis is often debilitating. When joints are harshly impacted by arthritis, one possible treatment alternative to explore is replacing your damaged joint with a new, artificial joint. This can reduce or even eradicate the pain associated with arthritis. It can likewise restore function to your joint. Hip, shoulder, and knee joint replacements are some of the more traditional surgeries recommended when dealing with arthritis.
In this blog, our orthopedic surgeon in Deland provides a synopsis of a joint replacement for arthritis and who may be a suitable candidate for this kind of procedure.
How arthritis affects the joints
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disorder. It harms the joint surfaces where they make contact with one another. In your shoulder, this is the head of your humerus (upper arm bone) and a part of the scapula (shoulder blade). In your knee, it concerns the ends of your femur and tibia (thigh bone and shin bone) and your patella (knee cap). In your hip, impacted areas are the head of your femur and the socket in your pelvic bones inside which it rests (acetabulum).
What an arthritis-related joint replacement involves
In layman's terms, a total joint replacement for arthritis implicates replacing the damaged joint surfaces with artificial elements. For example, the shoulder and hip replacements consist of a ball with a stem and a socket. In knee replacements, the synthetic components are specially-shaped metal plates that replace the deteriorated cartilage protecting the ends of the bone and a medical-grade plastic disc that replaces the dense pad of cartilage buffering your joint. In some circumstances, your patella may also be relined with synthetic elements.
Who is a candidate for arthritis-related joint replacement?
If your arthritis is progressive but you are in otherwise good health, joint replacement might be an alternative. Nevertheless, you should always confer with a skilled orthopedic specialist who can supply you with conservative treatment prospects and other minimally invasive strategies to attempt before resorting to surgery.
The best prospects for an arthritic joint replacement procedures include patients who:
- Have severe arthritis
- Experience substantial impact on their quality of life due to symptoms
- Have ruled out conservative treatments such as anti-inflammatory drugs and physical therapy
- Are inclined to partake in a rehab program after surgery
However, some health concerns, including joint-related problems, may make a joint replacement for arthritis less appropriate for you.
In general, you might not be a suitable candidate if:
- You suffer from poorly-controlled diabetes
- You are a smoker
- You are morbidly obese
- You have encountered infections in the involved arthritic joint in the past
The success of joint replacement surgery relies on the health of the remainder of the joint. If the joint has suffered numerous infections or has already experienced several surgeries, it might not be healthy enough to endure a joint replacement. In addition, if the joint's anatomy is unnatural or you have a muscular deficiency in the region, it may not be powerful enough to sustain the artificial joint.
Joint replacement is only advised if other treatment alternatives have not been effective at relieving symptoms and only if the patient meets specific criteria. If you have arthritis and want to know more about joint replacement as a therapeutic option, the first step is to schedule a consultation with our orthopedic surgeon in Deland. Contact us today for more information.