Helping Patients Get a Kick Out of Life Again
There's no question that joint pain can take a lot of the fun out of life. Walking can be excruciating. Climbing steps may be nearly impossible. Sometimes even resting is painful.
When chronic pain such as this exists, many patients and their doctors begin to consider a very viable option: total joint replacement.
"Joint replacement is used for treating joints that can't be salvaged any other way," says Dr. Owen Nelson, Orthopedist at Uniontown Hospital. "If other options like medications, physical therapy or more minor surgeries won't restore comfort and function, joint replacement is an excellent choice."
Through diagnostics such as X-rays, ultrasound and MRI, doctors can confirm the cause of the pain and determine the extent of damage in a joint. Still, many decisions are often determined by the amount of discomfort a patient is experiencing.
"If a person lives with pain in a joint, it can cause depression and general inactivity," states Dr. Nelson. "The consequences are many and serious. Through joint replacement surgery, we can help patients resume normal daily activities without pain."
Since the first joint replacements in the 1970s, many advances have occurred. "With the introduction of specialized equipment, we've been able to develop minimally invasive surgery for knee and hip replacements," remarks Dr. Scott Baron of the Orthopedic Group at Uniontown Hospital.
