If you've lost your mobility and your ability to be active because of knee or hip arthritis, you may be considering joint replacement surgery.  A joint replacement may be the right choice for you if non-surgical treatments no longer provide relief.

 

Total joint replacement for painful arthritis of the knee and hip is one of the most successful surgeries of the last century. Both have become common and reliable procedures, with more than 500,000 knee and hip replacements performed in the U.S. each year.  Total joint replacements have transformed the lives of millions of Americans by providing them the opportunity to once again be active without pain.

Knee and Hip Replacements 

Artificial joints and surgical techniques have evolved significantly in the past 40 years. The first modern Total Hip Arthroplasty was invented by Sir John Charnley in 1961, and within a decade had revolutionized the treatment of hip arthritis.  Total Knee Arthroplasty was introduced in the 1960's and has undergone an evolution of instruments, implants and techniques.  In the past decade Total Knee Replacement has become both reliable and predictable, and is now one of the most frequent surgeries performed by orthopedic surgeons.

 

There's still room for improvement, though.  Rehabilitation after traditional surgery can be lengthy and painful, and people sometimes postpone knee or hip replacement, not wanting to be away from work and everyday activities for months.

 

The evolution of knee and hip replacement techniques has not ceased.  In the past 5 years new patient-friendly surgical techniques and instruments have emerged for both knee and hip replacements. Using what's known as 'Minimally Invasive Surgery' for qualifying patients, we are now able to perform joint replacements with less pain and more rapid recovery.

What is Minimally Invasive Surgery? 

Minimally Invasive Surgery (or MIS), used in the context of orthopedic surgery, refers to techniques for reconstructing arthritic joints with very little disruption to the surrounding muscles and ligaments.  The same well-tested and time-proven artificial joint components are placed, but through much smaller incisions than traditional.

However, an MIS procedure is not simply traditional surgery with a smaller incision.  An MIS surgeon uses different instruments created specifically for MIS surgeries, and uses different surgical techniques to avoid or minimize cutting or disruption to the adjacent muscles and surrounding tissues.  Compared to traditional joint replacement surgeries, MIS results in less post-operative pain, less blood loss during surgery, shorter hospital stays, potentially less cost, quicker rehabilitation, less weakness, and a more cosmetic scar.

Minimally Invasive Knee Replacements

In the case of arthritic knees, MIS involves a quadriceps muscle-sparing procedure to replace all the worn surfaces of a knee joint through a small movable window of an incision.  If only one portion of the knee joint is arthritic, a partial replacement, or unicompartmental replacement can be performed without any damage to the surrounding quadriceps muscle.

Click here for more information on MIS Knee surgeries.

Anterior Approach Hip Replacements

In the case of arthritic hips, Dr. Woods utilizes the latest Anterior Approach to Total Hip Replacement. Whereas the traditional approach cuts through the posterior muscles to gain access to the hip joint, the anterior approach enters through a much smaller incision on the front of the hip without cutting the important gluteal muscles that support the hip. This technique causes less much damage to the surrounding ligaments and muscles, leads to less pain and enables much faster rehabilitation.

Click here for more information on Anterior Approach Hip surgeries.