Joint Replacement Specialist

If joint pain is causing treatment-resistant pain and loss of function, the highly skilled orthopedic surgeons at 360 Orthopedics can help. They perform joint replacement surgery for their patients through their Sarasota, Venice, and Lakewood Ranch, Florida office. Call whichever location is convenient to find out how joint replacement could relieve your suffering, or book an appointment online.

What is joint replacement?

Joint replacement is a type of surgery that involves removing diseased or unstable sections of the bones that make up your joint and replacing them with artificial components.

A replacement component, or prosthesis, as it's also known, might be metal, plastic, ceramic, or a combination of several materials. Modern joint replacements are highly sophisticated pieces of design that closely match the workings of your natural joints.

Why would I need joint replacement surgery?

Joint replacement surgery is something you might need to consider if you have severe, persistent joint pain or pain that's getting worse.

Most often, patients who have joint pain find that their symptoms improve with rest and treatments like physical therapy and joint injections. However, these nonsurgical approaches can't always help.

The most likely reason for joint replacement surgery is if you have osteoarthritis and your joints deteriorate badly. Osteoarthritis is a wear-and-tear disease that’s widespread, incurable, and worsens over time. Joint replacement offers an effective long-term solution.

The 360 Orthopedics team performs knee and hip replacement surgeries more often than any other. However, they can also replace shoulders, wrists, ankles, elbows, and even small joints in your hands and feet.

What does joint replacement surgery involve?

Your joint replacement surgery takes place under general anesthetic or, in some cases, a local anesthetic with a sedative.

The traditional posterior approach uses incisions in the back of your joint. The anterior approach is a newer method that members of the 360 Orthopedics team specializes in, where they make incisions in the front of the joint.

Your surgeon removes the parts of the joint that are beyond repair and prepares the remaining bones for the new components. Artificial joint ends might have a stem that fits into the bone to keep them secure. Replacement sockets might need screws to hold them in place.

Your surgeon might use bone cement or press-fit the new parts into place as well as or instead of screwing them. As often as possible, the 360 Orthopedics team uses arthroscopy to perform joint replacement surgery.

What role does arthroscopy play in joint replacement surgery?

Arthroscopy is a technique that requires only small incisions, rather than the large, open wounds traditionally made in surgical procedures. The arthroscope is an instrument that fits into one of these small incisions.

Instead of viewing the joint directly, your surgeon sees it on a monitor via the camera at the end of the arthroscope. Arthroscopy causes significantly less damage to your tissues than open surgery, which means it has numerous benefits, including less pain and faster recovery.

To learn more about joint replacement surgery and to find out if you could benefit from their expertise, call 360 Orthopedics today, or book an appointment online.