The Reason Some People Choose Arthroplasty
Anyone who has ever had any kind of joint pain and has been to an orthopedic doctor may have heard the word arthroplasty come up in their conversation. Arthroplasty is a term that an Orthopedic Surgeon will use to describe a joint replacement surgery. Arthroplasty can repair damaged joints so that people can regain motion in their damaged joint. They use this type of procedure for knee surgery and they also use it for hip surgery. Also, this procedure can repair rotator cuff injuries.
Arthroplasty may be a solution to the problem for anyone who has been having severe joint pain, especially if the joint pain is caused by certain types of arthritis. Arthroscopic surgery can help lessen the pain in the joint that is caused by arthritis. Arthroplasty may not be of much help for anyone suffering from rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis is an area still in much need of research.
The added benefit of having arthroplasty to fix a joint problem is that the patient will normally just have to stay in the hospital for a few days, but this will vary depending on the type of joint that is treated. Once the patient leaves the hospital and goes home, they have to be extremely careful when using the joint until it has completely healed. If the patient uses it too much, then the joint may become painful again. That is why there are often very specific physical therapies in place and it is vital to follow the instructions so the joint will heal correctly because not using the joint enough can be just as dangerous all depending on what the doctor suggests.
There are certain risk factors that anyone will need to consider with arthroplasty as they would have to consider with any type of surgery. The main concern is that the patient could have an allergic reaction to the anesthesia. As a precaution, the patient will have to go through normal lab work that has to be done before any type of procedure. This is just to make sure that everything is normal. Make sure your physician explains to you what tests are required.
Once the recovery period is over, the patient will often be surprised at the amount of motion that they will have regained in their joint. If everything went well with the procedure, they can also expect to be pain free or almost pain free once they have fully recovered, depending on the condition and joint that has been repaired.
Leave a Reply