What Is a Frozen Shoulder and How Is It Treated?
The name frozen shoulder gives you the first hint that this condition causes pain and stops shoulder movement. Why do you lose shoulder mobility, and how is it treated? Here’s what you need to know.
5 Encouraging Facts About Joint Replacement Surgery
When advanced arthritis causes extensive joint damage, you only have one treatment option: joint replacement surgery. While most people welcome the chance to restore their joint — imagine enjoying your days without joint pain! — they’re also hesitant to undergo joint replacement surgery.
Patients can put their worries aside and get the treatment they need when our team at Cascade Orthopedics & Sports Medicine Center PC explains the joint replacement procedure and advantages of today’s advanced technology.
Here, we share five encouraging facts about joint replacement surgery.
Fact 1: Artificial joints last a long time
Thanks to advances in technology and materials, prosthetic joints can stand up to many years of movement without wearing down.
Most hip and knee replacements last at least 15-20 years, depending on which joint you replace. (Hip replacements typically last longer than knee replacements). And if your joint replacement reaches the end of its lifespan, you can have another one implanted.
Fact 2: Most people have minimally invasive surgery
Joint replacements used to require open surgery, where a procedure required the surgeon to make a long incision and pull back the skin and muscles to reach the joint with their hands.
Our team specializes in minimally invasive joint replacement surgery. This approach uses small incisions and specialized instruments that fit through smaller openings. We can perform most joint replacements without cutting through the muscles.
Minimally invasive surgery causes significantly less trauma. That means you have less pain, and you recover faster. Most people are up and walking within hours and go home the same day.
Fact 3: Age does not matter
Better prosthetics, long-lasting results, and minimally invasive procedures make joint replacement surgery a good option for people of all ages. Decisions about when to have replacement surgery are based on pain, disability, and overall health, not your age.
You may be a good candidate for joint replacement surgery when:
- Pain and stiffness limit your mobility
- Joint pain doesn’t improve when resting
- Diagnostic imaging shows extensive joint damage
- Conservative treatments fail to improve your symptoms
If you meet the above criteria, and your pre-surgery screenings don’t reveal issues preventing surgery, you can get a joint replacement regardless of your age.
Fact 4: Prosthetics are customized to fit your joint and lifestyle
Joints come in different sizes and subtly different shapes. We use a wide range of today’s most advanced prosthetic joints, including prosthetics that match the shape and size of your joint.
We also implant prosthetic components specially designed to meet unique needs. For example, we may recommend using a joint specially designed to allow high-flexion or high-demand activities.
Fact 5: Robotics support precision surgery
Robotic-assisted technology uses real-time imaging to plan surgery and size your prosthetic joint. Then a roboticized arm guides your surgery.
With real-time imaging and tracking, the device reveals the slightest movement in your bones during surgery — movement that we wouldn’t detect with our eyes — allowing us to adjust the placement of your new joint.
Robotic guidance ensures the bones are properly prepared, the prosthesis is precisely placed on your bones and properly aligned. These details give your new joint optimal mobility and function.
Ready to reclaim an active, pain-free life?
After recovering from joint replacement surgery, the pain disappears. You also regain the full range of movement and joint function. In other words, joint replacement lets you reclaim your life and return to the activities you love.
If you struggle with joint pain, don’t wait to talk with the team at Cascade Orthopedics & Sports Medicine Center PC. Call the office in Hood River or The Dalles, Oregon, or request an appointment online today.
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