Internet Resouces for Hip and Knee Replacement

Arthritis of the knee or hip can be extremely debilitating, causing pain so severe, daily activity such as walking becomes frustrating, painful, even impossible. Our philosophy is to begin conservatively with non-surgical treatment. However, in those cases where surgery is necessary to relieve joint pain, our physicians are skilled in using the most advanced procedures available which has earned them a reputation for excellence in the medical community. Nearly 700 joint replacement procedures are performed each year by our experienced physicians. Minimally Invasive Surgery of the Hip and Knee Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) of the Hip and Knee has become popular over the last few years and a great deal of attention has been paid to this type of surgery. The promise of smaller incisions, less dissection and less trauma to the knee has led to the expectation of quicker recoveries, less blood loss and more cosmetic scars. Improvements in techniques and instruments have enabled us to perform total him and knee replacements through incisions less than one half as long as our traditional incisions. The basic concept of MIS is to decrease the local trauma to the soft tissues without compromising the ability to implant the hip or knee. Traditional incisions for both hip and knee replacements usually measured 12-14 inches and now, most incisions are less than one half of that, sometimes one third of that size. There is no question that smaller incisions have helped our patients recover quicker. They do have less pain and an earlier return to function. These advantages however are generally gone by the 3-4 week post-op mark, at which point there has been enough healing that the size of the incision makes no difference in terms of a patient's recovery other than the actual length of the incision. Long term, i.e. after several months, there are no noticeable differences between patients who have had MIS or a traditional approach to their hip or knee. The actual length of the incision varies from patient to patient and it depends upon the amount of fat and muscle as well as the size of a patient's bone. Every attempt will be made to make the hip and knee incisions as small as possible (to help with the easier rehabilitation) but as large as necessary to make sure that these remarkable operations are not compromised by poor exposure and visualization. Internet Resources for Hip and Knee Replacement The Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons recently published the top websites for arthritis, hip and knee replacement information based on content accuracy and ease of navigation. The sites listed below are ranked on a five-point scale. The more stars the better. We encourage you to visit these sites. Below are sources of arthritis information we recommend for our patients: American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons Patient content: Ease of navigation:   Free Online Support Group for Hip & Joint Problems Patient content: Ease of navigation:   American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons - Hip Information Patient content: Ease of navigation:   American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons - Knee Information Patient content: Ease of navigation:   National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Patient content: Ease of navigation:   Wheeless' Textbook of Orthopaedics Patient content: Ease of navigation:   Arthritis Foundation   All About Arthritis   You be the doctor in a virtual knee surgery demonstration.

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