Joint Replacement Surgery

The human body is a simple yet complex thing present in the universe. With all the cells, organs, muscles, cartilages, bones, there come different troubles with each part. Every part of the body is important and that is the reason that every problem or disease related to any part must be diagnosed and treated. The joints present in our body are the ones that can have inflammation and cause trouble. So, the joints can be treated. But if the treatment is too late, then we simply have to go for the replacement surgeries of the affected joint so that the movement of our body is not hindered. Some of the surgeries are discussed below.

Total Knee Replacement

The people out there who have their knees affected by the disease osteoarthritis must have experienced lots of pain consistently throughout the daily activities. The disease osteoarthritis damages the knees by wearing off the natural cushioning called cartilage present between the joints. When the cartilage wears off, the bones of the joints start to rub against each other and it gets really painful. The initial treatment for the disease is rest, physical therapy and medication. But for the patients, who have their knee joint cartilages worn out too much or have their bone structure damaged, they have to undergo for the total knee surgery, also known as knee arthroplasty.

This surgery is usually for the patients who are above 50 years old but in special cases, the surgery can be performed on younger patients also. There is nothing to worry when you or someone you know is about to undergo this surgery as this surgery is one of the most successful orthopedic surgeries.See, the surgery is not so complex. In the total knee replacement surgery, the damaged bone or cartilage is removed from the top of the bone tibia and in its place, a flat metal plate and stem are implanted. Then, a synthetic insert is clipped into tibial tray so that it can function as a new weight-bearing surface. After doing this, the lower bone surface of the femur is shaped and a contoured metal shield is attached which moves smoothly against the newly inserted surface of the lower leg. The knee cap that you have might be retained or might be replaced by the synthetic one.

If you are the one or you know someone who is going through the trouble of handling the knee pain everyday and their mobility is reduced because of the disease named osteoarthritis, get them checked. And if none of the treatment comes to the rescue, go for this surgery as it can give tremendous relief from pain and the mobility of a person can be retained back.

Unicondyler Knee Replacement

The other type of knee joint replacement surgeries is unicondyler knee replacement. This one is also called partial knee replacement and is an alternative to the surgery discussed above, that is, total knee replacement. The people who are eligible for this surgery should be suffering from the osteoarthritis only in one compartment, medial or lateral, of the knee joint. As there is only one compartment of the knee joint is affected, the patient has no need to undergo total knee replacement surgery.

The problem osteoarthritis damages the cartilage of the knee joint and the bones of the joint simply rub against each other. This leads to the pain and swelling of the knee joint and it also reduces the mobility range of the person. Other factors like stiffness also show up. So, instead of enduring the pain, simply go for this surgery. In this surgery, the replacement is made only with the damaged part of the cartilage of the knee joint. So, after the surgery, the patient will be able to move easily without enduring any pain and taking painkillers for the problem that they were facing.

Without any further ado, rush to a doctor if none of the treatment were helpful for you and get the worn out cartilage replaced.

Total Hip Replacement

Are you the one who have severe arthritis in the hip bone joint and any medication that you are treated with for the problem has led to no relief? Well, you can go for this surgery named total hip replacement surgery, also known as total hip arthroplasty. This surgery is done to the patients who have osteoarthritis that has damaged the cartilage of the hip joint to a higher extent that it cannot be repaired; patients that have avascular necrosis of the hip joint bone; patients who are suffering from bony fractures of the hip joint.

The osteoarthritis of the hip bone joint is the same as knee bone joint. The disease simply affects the natural cushioning called cartilage of the joints. After the cartilage that is present between the bone joints is worn out, the bones rub against each other and lead to the pain. With the pain, it leads to the swelling and stiffness of the joint and also it reduces the mobility of a person. The problem is treated by medications and therapy. But if these both do not work, then you definitely will have to go for total hip replacement surgery.

This surgery is a procedure where the damaged cartilage or bone of the hip joint is replaced with the artificial materials. The hip joint is a ball and socket joint. The socket compartment of hip joint is called acetabulum and the ball part of the hip joint is the femur head. When the bones or the cartilage is damaged, the diseased ball and socket joint is replaced by metallic artificial ball and stem, called femoral prosthesis and is fixed by bony cement known as methylmethacrylate. A cementless prosthesis is also used but it is used for younger patients. So, if you are feeling any problem and have got no relief after undergoing therapies and medications, simply rush to a doctor and talk about the total hip replacement surgery.

Bipolar Hip Replacement

This surgery is for the patients who have their half hip joint damaged. If you have your half hip joint damaged, there is no fun of getting a total hip replacement. This surgery is the best option for treating femoral neck fractures. The femoral neck is a thin section of the femur that helps in connecting the ball part of the bone to main shaft. If this bone area gets fractured, the blood supply can be cut off and will lead to joint damage in a severe way which couldn’t be treated with the conservative methods.

Bipolar hip replacement surgery is a procedure in which one half of the hip joint is replaced with a prosthetic whereas the other half is intact. The bipolar hemiarthroplasty has the swiveling femoral head during movement and it helps in reducing the wear and tear on new joint for long lasting results. In this surgery, the head of the damaged thigh bone with an implant that is designed to stabilize the thigh bone and also restore the function of the hip. This one is not like total hip replacement surgery where both the ball part of the joint are replaced. During the bipolar hemiarthroplasty, after replacing the damaged femoral head and neck with the bipolar prosthetic, it is held with the help of cement or sometimes, without cement.

After the complete information about the surgeries regarding the joint replacement, keep this thing in mind that if you feel like you are facing some problems and the problem is not sorted out after taking all the possible medications and therapies, you simply have to go to a doctor and talk to them for the surgery so that the already damaged joint can be replaced. There is no need to endure the pain and handle the stiffness. Simply, get the damaged joint replaced and live your life happily and normally without enduring any pain or stiffness or swelling.