Patient Education: Joint Replacement

Are there any simpler measures than Joint Replacement?

Joint replacement is a major surgery and complications can occur. It is therefore extremely important to note that not everybody who has arthritis needs a joint replacement. Joint Replacement should be reserved for the advanced cases where simpler methods were not sufficient enough to relieve your pain and disability. It may be beneficial to ask your orthopedic surgeon if there are any options that could be done prior to joint replacement. Below is a list of simpler measures that may be taken prior to joint replacement. 

1) If you are overweight, lose weight
The heavier you are, the more weight you carry across your joints. If you loose weight, your joints will suffer less and you should experience less pain. If you want to lose weight through exercise, it is important to remember not to participate in activities such as running, jogging, or basketball, because they will increase the wear and tear rates in your arthritic joint. Instead, you should participate in activities that do not put as much weight across your arthritic joints, such as swimming. 

2) Use a cane
A cane will take some of the weight off the arthritic joint and may therefore relieve some of the pain one may experience while performing curtail activities such as walking. 

3) Do not over-exert yourself
If you have arthritis, you should not avoid using your joint because the muscles around the joint will weaken and it will become even more difficult to move the joint. At the same time, however, it is important to not partake in unnecessary activities and extreme sports that will increase the wear and tear rates of your joints. 

4) Medications & Injections
Your doctor may suggest some medication (both prescription and over-the-counter) that may relieve some of the pain associated with arthritis. A knowledgeable physician can also inject cortisone into the arthritic joint to help relieve arthritis pain and symptoms. 

5) Lesser Surgeries
Sometimes, joint replacement is not the best choice because of the patient’s age or personal preference. Lesser surgeries such as Fusions and core biopsy (the core of the bone is removed) can be performed instead of joint replacement, but they are usually less effective that joint replacement, and in several cases, if the procedure is not successful, a joint replacement is almost certain.

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