| Joint replacement surgery has increased in popularity | | | | activities like golf or tennis. This is when people usually |
| over the last five years. People have become more | | | | seek medical help. |
| involved with sports, exercise, and recreational | | | | For those who do not seek help, the disease may |
| activities and are staying active later in life. These | | | | continue to worsen to the point that they need to use |
| patients often have old joint injuries that never healed | | | | a cane or walker to get around. They are no longer |
| completely, and others have had arthroscopic surgery. | | | | able to leave their homes or do common household |
| At a certain point, the pain, stiffness, and other | | | | activities like cleaning or going upstairs. This severe |
| symptoms in their joints begin to limit function and | | | | stage is known as end-stage disease. It is best to |
| patients' ability to participate in the activities that they | | | | seek medical advice before the disease becomes |
| enjoy. There are many non-operative treatments for | | | | severe, because the earlier your treatments begin, the |
| arthritis and joint pain; however many patients with | | | | better your results. You may suffer unnecessarily by |
| arthritis eventually require joint replacement surgery to | | | | waiting too long. |
| regain function in their injured or worn out joints. | | | | Post-traumatic arthritis has the same symptoms and |
| Arthritis is the primary reason for joint replacement | | | | appearance as osteoarthritis. The main difference is |
| surgery. The knee, hip, and shoulder are the joints that | | | | the cause. In post-traumatic arthritis, there is a clearly |
| most commonly need replacement. Arthritis can have | | | | identified injury to the joint. Common injuries that result |
| many different causes, but the end result is the same - | | | | in arthritis include fractures, dislocations, cartilage tears, |
| irreversible joint damage that causes pain, stiffness, | | | | and ligament injuries. Patients with cartilage (meniscus) |
| and limited function. | | | | tears or ligament injuries, such as the anterior cruciate |
| The three most common types of arthritis are | | | | ligament (ACL), of the knee develop arthritis at a high |
| osteoarthritis, post-traumatic arthritis, and rheumatoid | | | | rate even if the injuries are properly treated with |
| (inflammatory) arthritis. Osteoarthritis is a generalized | | | | surgery. |
| wear-and-tear disease of joints. The knees, hips, and | | | | Having joint surgery for any reason may increase the |
| spine are most commonly affected, but any joint in the | | | | chance of developing arthritis in that joint. |
| body can be affected. Although osteoarthritis is | | | | Post-traumatic arthritis seems to affect younger |
| considered to be a wear-related disease, not | | | | patients more than osteoarthritis does, because it is |
| everyone will suffer from it. | | | | related to injuries that are common in young adults. |
| Some very active patients live their whole lives without | | | | Patients in their 30s and 40s may develop arthritis |
| a problem, while other patients get severe | | | | from injuries that they sustained in their 20s and 30s. |
| osteoarthritis at an early age. In general, the longer you | | | | Inflammatory arthritis includes rheumatoid arthritis and |
| live, the higher your chances of developing arthritis. | | | | many similar diseases. Approximately ten percent of |
| However, age and activity level are not the only | | | | patients with arthritis have an inflammatory disease, |
| factors. Some people are genetically predisposed to | | | | which is caused when the body's immune system |
| developing arthritis - that is, it runs in families. If your | | | | attacks the joints. Rheumatologists can treat |
| mother has bad knees or hips, you may develop the | | | | inflammatory arthritis with powerful medications. Many |
| same problems. | | | | patients eventually develop severe disease and require |
| The first signs of arthritis are usually mild and may go | | | | joint replacement surgery. |
| unnoticed. The motion of the affected joint may | | | | Many recent advances in joint replacement design, |
| become increasingly limited. After extended or | | | | surgical technique, and pain management strategy |
| strenuous activities, mild aches and swelling may be | | | | have improved results for patients. As joint |
| apparent at the end of the day. As the disease | | | | replacements have begun to function better and last |
| progresses, the symptoms become noticeable on a | | | | longer, they have helped the lives of patients who |
| daily basis. Regular activities, such as walking up or | | | | were not traditionally considered candidates for joint |
| down stairs and getting up from a seated position, | | | | replacement. Younger patients recover quickly from |
| become more difficult. Crouching to pick up an object | | | | joint replacement surgery and can often return to |
| from the floor or putting on socks and shoes are often | | | | work and recreational activities in 4-6 weeks. |
| difficult. Patients can no longer enjoy recreational | | | | |