Arthritis Pain gateway features information on dealing with chronic pain. Understanding Your Pain. Managing Your Pain.
Latest Articles
Arthritis In Dogs - Tips To Prevent This Crippling Canine DiseaseArthritis is a general term for abnormal changes to a joint. Arthritis can occur when joint tissue is damaged from an infection, from congenital defects that affect the structural integrity and from stress and trauma to joint surfaces and...
Canine Arthritis Risk Factors
As the owner of a dog with arthritis, I know how difficult it can be for you and your dog. Even though arthritis can occur in dogs of any breed or at any age, certain factors can greatly increase the risk of your dog developing cancer. According...
Rheumatoid Arthritis Medication
Rheumatoid arthritis is a disease that has no cure. This inflammatory disease leads to swollen, stiff, and painful joints. It will also reduce movements affecting the person mentally and physically. As such, the only way to cope with the situation...
"I Have Arthritis in My Knee and My Doctor Told Me I Need a Knee Replacement. What Do I Do and What
People with arthritis will eventually need a total knee replacement if they fail the other more conservative measures. These treatments include medications (anti-inflammatory medicines and analgesics), physical therapy, topical agents (arthritis rubs), intraarticular glucocorticoid injections (cortisone shots given into the knee joint), viscosupplements (lubricant injections into the knee joint), arthroscopy, and bracing.
Patients who have received the full gamut of conservative medical treatment and who continue to have either severe pain or loss of function, are considered candidates for total knee replacement.
The traditional method of total knee replacement involves making an incision through the large muscle located at the lower end of the inside of the thigh and slightly above the inside part of the knee- the vastus medialis obliquus (VMO). This large muscle is a stabilizer of the patella (kneecap) and one complication of knee replacement is patellar instability.
More recently, minimally invasive techniques using a smaller incision are becoming popular.
Prior to surgery, a careful evaluation of the patient’s medical history is made. Since there is the chance that there will be blood loss, the patient may require either “banking” of their own blood or injections of erythropoietin (a hormone) to help stimulate red blood cell production.
What occurs with knee replacement is that the surface of the femur (upper leg bone) and the surface of the tibia (lower leg bone) are replaced with metal and plastic implants which are cemented in. For the operation to be successful, the surgeon will require adequate
visualization of the operative site, proper sizing of the components, and proper alignment of the limb.
The postoperative period involves extensive rehabilitation and takes anywhere from four to ten weeks before a patient will be "as good as they’ll be." Complications of the procedure include patellar instability, infection, blood clots, excessive blood loss, prolonged pain, and loosening of the replacement parts.
In patients who have two bad knees, it is a good idea to get them both done at the same time, if possible.
Finally, it is important that there is coordination between the patient’s primary physicians and the orthopedic surgeons. This is particularly true in patients with other medical problems that require attention. oftentimes, medicines will have to be montored, discontinued temporarily, or changed before surgery.
Careful attention to detail including the preoperative management, the actual surgery, and the post-operative rehabilitation will ensure a good result in most cases.
Dr. Wei (pronounced “way”) is a board-certified rheumatologist and Clinical Director of the nationally respected Arthritis and Osteoporosis Center of Maryland. He is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and has served as a consultant to the Arthritis Branch of the National Institutes of Health. He is a Fellow of the American College of Rheumatology and the American College of Physicians. For more information on arthritis and related conditions, go to: http://www.arthritis-treatment-and-relief.com
Written By: Nathan Wei
IMPORTANT: Bing News RSS feed has moved!
<table bgColor="#ffffbb" border="1px"><td>Go to the <a href="http://api.bing.com/rss.aspx?Source=News&Market=en-US&Version=2.0&Query=Arthritis">new RSS page</a> and renew your subscription.</td></table>
Alternative Therapies Offer
An estimated 50 million Americans are living with
Assistance, screenings offered for farmers with
COLUMBUS -- A new program offered by faculty and students from the Ohio State University Medical Center provides solutions for farmers struggling with
Take on
About 50 million people in the United States suffer from
The
Link between poor neighbourhoods and risk of
People living in poor neighbourhoods have a higher rate and risk of
Zimmer Launches
SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 8, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Zimmer Holdings, Inc. (NYSE and SIX: ZMH), a global leader in musculoskeletal health, today announced the availability of a new patient education application designed for Apple's iPad tablet.
