• Contact Us
The Leone Center for Orthopedic Care
  • Home
  • Hip & Knee Surgery
    • Philosophy
    • Hip Surgery
    • Hip Conditions
    • Knee Surgery
    • Knee Conditions
  • What to Expect
    • Vision
    • Meet Dr. Leone
    • State-of-the-Art Facility
    • In the News
    • Plan Your Visit
    • Personalized Care
    • Preparing for Surgery
    • Day of Surgery
    • Pain Management
    • Best Practices
    • Physical Activity Timeline
  • Testimonials
  • Blogs
    • English Blog
    • Spanish Blog
    • Portuguese Blog
  • Patient Resources
    • Ask Your Surgeon
    • Medicare & Insurance
    • Downloads
    • Patient Rights
  • Video Library
  • Search
  • Menu Menu
You are here: Home1 / Headlines2 / Complications3 / Joint Replacement Surgery for Osteoarthritis Q&A

Joint Replacement Surgery for Osteoarthritis Q&A

As comments and very detailed questions from readers continue to be posted on my blog, it occurred to me that it was time to do a series of Q&A posts that talk about joints and why they deteriorate, as well as what treatments and surgeries are available today to get people back on their feet and enjoying a pain-free lifestyle. This first post addresses the most common cause of joint deterioration: osteoarthritis. Simply put, osteoarthritis occurs when hyaline cartilage, which is the specialized tissue that covers the ends of the bones in a joint, is damaged or worn away to the point of “bone on bone” friction. Hyaline cartilage is not self-repairing and, when damaged, results in pain and diminished movement, progressively disrupting one’s quality of everyday life.  As the osteoarthritic condition progresses, it can lead to immobility and one’s loss of independence. Below are a few of the most common questions regarding osteoarthritis and joint replacement surgery:

What is joint replacement surgery for osteoarthritis?

Total joint replacement surgery is a procedure where the diseased cartilage and bone of the joint are surgically replaced with artificial materials.

The total hip replacement prosthesis consists of a ball which is made of metal or ceramic, which is held in a precise position by a metal stem. The stem is inserted down the marrow cavity of the femur. The ball is inserted into the new socket which consists of a liner with special wear characteristics and which is supported by a titanium shell placed next to living bone so that bone grows into it.

When a total knee replacement is performed, the bone and cartilage on the end of the thigh bone (femur), top of the shin bone (tibia) and the underneath surface of the patella or knee cap are replaced with metal and plastic parts so as the joint moves the plastic slides against the metal parts and friction is minimized. The “art” is to perfectly realign the limb and balance the supportive tissue so the knee feels natural.

One way the knee is different than the hip is that the knee has three compartments rather than one. Depending on the location and severity of the arthritic process and the deformity, many times only one or possibly two of the compartments requires resurfacing, which is called a partial knee replacement. This has the advantage of a much smaller surgical dissection and faster recovery time.

When is it time for joint replacement surgery for osteoarthritis?

Osteoarthritis is one of the most common causes of hip and knee deterioration and destruction. If you are experiencing pain or disability that is interfering with your ability to be independent or active, it’s time to have a conversation with your doctor followed by a thorough examination. When all conservative treatments methods have been exhausted such as NSAIDs, other pain modifying medicines, therapy, activity modification, modalities like ice or heat and possibly injections or even arthroscopy, and your quality of life is severely affected, joint replacement surgery may be the next step.

Is Joint replacement surgery for osteoarthritis common?

Total hip replacement surgery has been one of the most successful surgeries ever developed. In fact, total hip replacement and cataract surgery are considered by many as the two surgeries that during the last century have had the greatest effect on improving quality of life. The latest statistics gathered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that some 327,000 hip replacements are performed annually in the U.S. That number is roughly double for knee replacements. The number of total hips is predicted to increase to nearly 600,000 in the U.S. alone by the year 2030. Although both hip and knee replacements traditionally were reserved for the elderly, today patients aged 45-54 are a much-faster growing demographic. It is predicted that nearly 3.4 million knee replacements will be performed in the U.S. by 2040.

How does joint replacement surgery ease osteoarthritis symptoms?

Today, people no longer are willing to endure living with debilitating pain and disability or give up active lives when joint replacement is a safe and viable alternative. Some attribute this shift in mindset to the baby boomer generation because people are living and remaining active longer both in the workplace and with social and sports activities. And, while some activities simply are not appropriate for patients who have had a hip or knee replacement, we keep rewriting the rules because of patients who are succeeding with remarkably pain-free, active lifestyles. I allow and even encourage my patients to participate in activities that the surgical community never would have sanctioned in years prior, including singles tennis, downhill skiing and ice hockey, if this is their passion.

Joint replacement very predictably relieves the pain of osteoarthritis by replacing the ends of the bones that make up the joint with artificial parts so the bones are no longer rubbing or grinding together. On an X-ray we see “bone on bone” deformity.  After joint replacement, secondary “reactive” changes such as synovitis (lining of the joint is inflamed) and joint effusions (increase fluid in the joint) then also quiet down. Joint function also normalizes with the reconstruction of normal body mechanics and alignment and because the joint is no longer painful.  When a partial knee replacement is done, the hope is by realigning the limb and rebalancing the supportive soft tissue sleeve, the progressive destruction of the knee with be halted and the remaining compartments that were not replaced will remain healthy.

Please read Dr. Leone’s BLog on the latest hip technique called the SPAIRE Approach. Click here.

We thank you for your readership. If you would like a personal consultation, please contact our office at 954-489-4575 or by email at LeoneCenter@Holy-cross.com.

Share this entry
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on X
  • Share on Pinterest
  • Share on LinkedIn
  • Share by Mail
  • Link to Instagram
https://holycrossleonecenter.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/DEB_7041R-scaled.jpg 1707 2560 Joseph Corsino https://holycrossleonecenter.com///wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Leone-Center-Logo@2x.png Joseph Corsino2015-09-08 10:51:482022-01-31 09:51:47Joint Replacement Surgery for Osteoarthritis Q&A
You might also like
Can Femoroacetabular Impingement (FAI) Lead to Early Onset Osteoarthritis?
The Exeter Hip Stem – Still the Gold Standard in the Industry
South Florida Hospital News: Dr. Leone Heads New Clinical Trial for Total Knee Replacement
osteoarthritis, Stem Cell injectionsHip and Knee Arthritis: Do PRP and Stem Cell Injections Work?
When is Hip Arthroscopy an Effective Course of Treatment?
The Most Common Reason for Chronic, Debilitating Hip Pain
Make an Appointment

Categories

  • Approaches
  • Awards
  • Best Practices
  • Cadera
  • Complications
  • Concierge
  • Hip Conditions
  • Hip Surgery
  • joelho
  • Knee Conditions
  • Knee Surgery
  • la Obesidad
  • Most Shared
  • News
  • Pain Management
  • Patient Concerns
  • Philosophy
  • Physical Activity Timeline
  • Procedures
  • Quadril
  • Rodilla
  • Surgical Techniques
  • Technologies
  • Uncategorized

Archives

ABOUT

Hip & Knee Surgery
What to Expect
Patient Resources
Blog
Testimonials
Contact Us

TOPICS

Approaches
Complications
Pain Management
Patient Concerns

Procedures
Surgical Techniques
Technologies

The Leone Center
for Orthopedic Care

1000 NE 56th Street,
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33334
Get Directions

Phone: 954-489-4575
Fax: 954-489-4584
Email us

© Copyright 2018 - 2023 The Leone Center for Orthopedic Care
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
Total Hip Replacement Surgery Can Restore an Active Sports LifestyleHip and Knee Q&A: Common Questions about Joint Pain, Pain Management and...
Scroll to top

This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies.

OKLearn more

Cookie and Privacy Settings



How we use cookies

We may request cookies to be set on your device. We use cookies to let us know when you visit our websites, how you interact with us, to enrich your user experience, and to customize your relationship with our website.

Click on the different category headings to find out more. You can also change some of your preferences. Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer.

Essential Website Cookies

These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features.

Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refusing them will have impact how our site functions. You always can block or delete cookies by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website. But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site.

We fully respect if you want to refuse cookies but to avoid asking you again and again kindly allow us to store a cookie for that. You are free to opt out any time or opt in for other cookies to get a better experience. If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain.

We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. Due to security reasons we are not able to show or modify cookies from other domains. You can check these in your browser security settings.

Google Analytics Cookies

These cookies collect information that is used either in aggregate form to help us understand how our website is being used or how effective our marketing campaigns are, or to help us customize our website and application for you in order to enhance your experience.

If you do not want that we track your visit to our site you can disable tracking in your browser here:

Other external services

We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps, and external Video providers. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. Changes will take effect once you reload the page.

Google Webfont Settings:

Google Map Settings:

Google reCaptcha Settings:

Vimeo and Youtube video embeds:

Other cookies

The following cookies are also needed - You can choose if you want to allow them:

Privacy Policy

You can read about our cookies and privacy settings in detail on our Privacy Policy Page.

Privacy Policy
Accept settingsHide notification only