Joint Replacement Specialists

What does joint replacement involve?

Joint replacement is a surgical procedure known as arthroplasty, in which your provider at Schofield, Hand and Bright Orthopaedics removes the damaged ends of the bones that make up your joint and replaces them with artificial components.

The replacement (prosthesis) may consist of plastic, ceramic, or metal. Modern prosthetic components are manufactured with advanced design technology to ensure they replicate your joint’s natural function as closely as possible.

Why might I need to consider joint replacement?

Joint replacement surgery might be necessary if you have an incurable condition, such as advanced osteoarthritis, that's causing significant pain and disability. In earlier stages, arthritis often responds favorably to conservative approaches, including:

• Medication
• Physical therapy
• Viscosupplementation
• Steroid injections
• Regenerative medicine treatments

If these treatments don't work for you or lose their effectiveness as your condition progresses, joint replacement might be the only long-term solution to keeping you mobile and free from constant pain.

Which joints are suitable for replacement?

Knees, hips, elbows, wrists, shoulders, ankles, and thumbs are suitable for joint replacement procedures. The specialists on the Schofield, Hand and Bright Orthopaedics team can replace a number of joints, such as shoulders, knees, hips, and thumbs.

Shoulder replacement

Total shoulder replacement involves taking away the damaged humeral head at the top of your upper arm and the socket in your shoulder blade, and then replacing them with two artificial components.

If you suffer from shoulder instability, your provider could perform a reverse total shoulder replacement, switching the position of the two components to stabilize the joint and improve your range of motion.

Knee replacement

To perform total knee replacement, your surgeon removes the ends of your thigh bone (femur) and shin bone (tibia) and may also resurface the patella (kneecap). If one part of the knee is healthy enough to retain, they may do a partial or unicompartmental joint replacement.

Hip replacement

Your hip is a ball-and-socket joint like your shoulder. Your provider reshapes the end of the femur, inserting a ball-shaped prosthetic on a rod into the femur and fitting it into a new socket in your pelvis.

Thumb replacement

Dr. Hand specializes in thumb replacement. He removes all or part of the thumb joint and replaces it with a tendon graft in a procedure known as ligament reconstruction and tendon interposition (LRTI) arthroplasty.

What does joint replacement surgery involve?

Depending on the joint, you may require a local or general anesthetic. Where possible, the surgeons at Schofield, Hand and Bright Orthopaedics use arthroscopic techniques that only need small incisions, but some surgeries might require an open approach or a combination of the two.

Find out how joint replacement could improve your mobility and relieve chronic pain. Call Schofield, Hand and Bright Orthopaedics today or book an appointment online.