What is Joint Replacement Surgery?
A joint is an articulation (junction) between 2 or more bones in the body. Muscles, tendons, ligaments, cartilage, and other soft tissue structures hold the joint in position.
Joint replacement surgery is a procedure in which the damaged or worn out articulating parts of the joint are removed and replaced with artificial prostheses. The goal of the surgery is to relieve pain and restore the normal functioning of the joint and help you resume normal activities.
Joint replacement surgery is mostly employed to treat symptoms of arthritis, a condition in which the articular cartilage that covers the joint surface is damaged or worn out causing significant pain, swelling, and stiffness in the joint.
Indications for Joint Replacement Surgery
Some of the common indications of joint replacement surgery include the following:
- Treatment of arthritic conditions, such as osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis of the joints
- Severe joint pain that limits your daily activities (such as walking, getting up from a chair, or climbing stairs)
- Moderate-to-severe pain that occurs during rest or awakens you at night
- Chronic joint inflammation and swelling that is not relieved with rest or medications
- Weakness and/or loss of joint motion
- Severe joint fracture or trauma
- Failure to obtain pain relief from medications, injections, physical therapy or other conservative treatments
