When is it time to consider a joint replacement?

Chronic hip and knee pain limits life’s enjoyment. Advanced technology can get you back out there sooner.

Orthopedic surgeons always consider many factors and other treatment options before deciding on surgery.

But one constant surgeons see in their patients is the reason they seek them out: they can’t do the things they used to.

And they want to again.

Chronic pain and limited range of motion — mainly attributed to arthritis — forces many to abandon the activities they love because they understandably can’t take the pain anymore.

“The muscles can start to weaken and the joint can start taking more of the force from the activity, causing more pain,” Dr. Shivajee Nallamothu, an orthopedic surgeon at McLaren Oakland, said compassionately.

When hip and knee pain begins dictating daily activities and limits the enjoyment of those activities, the time has arrived to do something about it.

A joint replacement surgery is an option, and the advancements in surgical technology have vastly improved the recovery process.

That’s the technology’s minimally invasive approach (leading to less soft tissue damage and less blood loss), gone are the days of when a joint replacement meant weeks laid up in bed followed by a slow, drawn-out recovery in the hopes of a return to activity.

With these upgrades in surgical technology, a return to activity is the expectation, as are lasting results.

“We tell all patients – at every age – to not pressures themselves into returning too soon,” he said. “That can only make matters worse. I work with my patients, and our excellent physical therapists work with our patients to make sure that when they do get back to their activities, they’re safe, pain-free and it’s long-lasting.”

 

Orthopedics at McLaren Oakland

Learn more about orthopedics services at McLaren Oakland.

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Tired of hip and knee pain limiting your life’s enjoyment? Make an appointment with Dr. Shivajee Nallamothu.

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