Joint Replacement... If It's Broke, Fix It!

Joint Pain

            The cause of join paint is damage to the cartilage in your joints, or where two bones come together. There are many ways that your cartilage can be damaged, it can be from arthritis, infection, inflammation or trauma. Cartilage is a protective tissue that acts as a shock absorber and covers the end of your bones to help them glide easily against other bones at joint (Trinity Hospital of Augusta).

Arthritis 

Arthritis is one of the common reasons for bad joints, it occurs in the body’s joints and most of the time it causes swelling of the effected joint. The term arthritis is commonly tossed around like it is one disease, however, it can describe as many as 100 different conditions (Trinity Hospital of Augusta). There are two main forms of arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. In rheumatoid arthritis the body’s immune system attacks the body’s joints, which breaks down and decreases the amount of cartilage in your joints and causes you joint pain. In severe cases, the joints can even become deformed and can cause problems with other areas of your body. Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis and refers to the common wear and tear on your body’s joints as you use them throughout your life. Because this affects joints with a lot of wear and tear osteoarthritis usually occurs in weight-bearing joints such as knees, hips, and ankles. This normal wear and tear causes the cartilage in the joints to break down and sometimes even exposes your bones to rub against each other without any protection. The wearing down can cause the cartilage to become rough and pitted, which makes the more difficult for the joint to glide and therefore causes inflammation, pain, and restricted movement. Osteoarthritis may cause the knee joint to deform and change the appearance of your leg or it may cause the hip to deform and the connected leg may appear shorter. No matter the form the main symptom for arthritis is pain, the amount of pain can range anywhere from moderate to severe, even when there is no pressure on the joint (Trinity Hospital of Augusta).  

           Joint Replacement at Trinity Hospital

  If it is determined that you have arthritis or another issue that needs further medical treatment there are several options available. The most common is a total joint replacement at the hip or knee. This surgery recovers the worn surfaces of your bones with plastic and metal to create a new smooth-surface so your joints can function as intended once again. Trinity Hospital of Augusta has a unique joint replacement program, called Joint Efforts. This program consists of a team of surgeons, nurses, physical therapists, social workers and home health workers to provide the best care possible before, during and after the surgery. The program also offers many additional programs to aid in recovery such as group education and exercise as well as family involvement and social interaction. Trinity Hospital sees your joint replacement and stay in the hospital more than just a procedure; they provide a good healing environment that fosters healing (Trinity Hospital of Augusta).

There are multiple ways to do both knee and hip surgeries. Trinity Hospital provides a new and improved approach to hip surgeries that make choosing Trinity Hospital for your joint replacement surgery the right choice. This new approach is called The Anterior Approach and allows the surgeon to operate on the hip from the front of the body as opposed to other more dated surgical approaches that operate from the side or the back of the body. This method of surgery is much more beneficial to the patient because no muscles have to be detached, leading to a quicker, less painful recovery so that you can get back to your normal routine as quick as possible. Aside from these benefits there are other possible advantages to the anterior approach, these include: a shorter hospital stay, small incision, reduced tissue healing, and reduced risk of dislocation of the hip (Trinity Hospital of Augusta).

References

Trinity Hospital of Augusta. Joint Replacement Program. Retrieved from http://www.trinityofaugusta.com/Services/Pages/Joint%20Replacement%20Program.aspx