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Your doctor may suggest surgery to replace or fix worn-out joints if:
- Medicine and other treatments don’t control your osteoarthritis pain.
- You can no longer do everyday activities.
The knee and hip are operated on most often.
There are several forms of surgery to ease osteoarthritis pain and disability.
- In arthroscopy, surgeons check joints for stray cartilage and other damage that they can then remove. Arthroscopy requires making only a small cut and giving mild anesthesia. In patients with osteoarthritis, it is used most often to clean out bits of loose cartilage from the knee joint and the shoulder.
- Osteotomy can correct bone problems that keep joints from lining up the right way. It is mostly used on knees, hips, and other lower joints.
- Total joint replacement is a very common joint surgery. It is most often done on the knees and hips. However, small joints, like knuckles and elbows, can be replaced.
Orthopedic surgeons replace joints with new ones of metal, ceramic, and plastic. The new joint can be attached to your own bone with special cement. Or, it may have a porous coating that helps your bone to bind to it.
Joint replacement can make joints line up right, but doesn’t give full motion. Newer man-made joints can last up to 20 or 25 years.
- Joint fusion keeps the joint from moving at all. It is done in very severe cases, usually on the ankle or spine.
Risks of surgery
Most of these surgeries are performed often. Any surgery is serious and carries some risk. Infections and blood clots can develop. Some patients have reactions to anesthesia. You should talk with your doctor about possible risks before any surgery.
Your weight also is a risk factor. Being overweight strains your heart and lungs during the stress of the operation. Extra pounds also can slow your recovery time if you’ve had a knee or hip joint replaced.
Also of Interest
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