Joint arthroplasty, commonly known as Total Joint Replacement, is the process of removing damaged cartilage at the end of the bones of a joint and replacing the joint with an artificial one, called a “prosthesis.”
Joint replacement is often considered when some experiences moderate to severe arthritis, severe pain, and other limitations on daily activities caused by the damaged joint.
Total joint replacement is most often performed on hips and knees, but may also include ankle replacement and shoulder replacement.
The goal of total joint replacement is to return you to your normal daily activities and relieve the pain caused by the damaged joint.
OrthoSouth’s joint replacement surgeons offer unsurpassed personalized care and a full range of options customized to your needs and preferences, from same day outpatient joint replacement in one of our two convenient surgery centers, to MAKO Robotic Arm Assisted joint replacement surgery at nearby St. Francis Hospital and everything in between.
Our skilled Patient Navigator team will guide you through every step of the process and follow up with you after your surgery and during your recovery period. Whether for hip, knee, shoulder, or ankle – our joint replacement team strives to provide the world class care you expect along with an exceptional service experience.
OrthoSouth® surgeons are experts in a full range of knee replacement techniques, including:
To view additional board-certified orthopedic physicians who are qualified to handle a range of joint-related issues, visit our provider page.
Total hip arthroplasty (also known as total hip replacement) has become one of the most common procedures performed. The specialists at OrthoSouth can safely and effectively perform a hip replacement to help restore you back to function.
The procedure is mostly performed for hip osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis is age and activity related wear and tear of the cartilage between the head of the femur (ball of the hip bone) and the acetabulum (socket). Normally, those two surfaces glide perfectly against each other as we walk, but with wear and tear of the cartilage, walking and activity can become painful and limiting.
Patients with hip arthritis can have symptoms like pain in the groin, pain when walking long distances, and even pain in the hip when putting on socks and shoes, or when getting into cars. Other reasons for hip replacement would be avascular necrosis, which is a disease of the head of the femur (ball of the hip bone) that causes the bone underneath the cartilage to weaken due to lack of blood flow. This lack of blood flow can be from various reasons, like a previous hip injury, chemotherapy or other drugs, sickle cell disease; or it can just happen for reasons not fully understood yet. An MRI is necessary to diagnose avascular necrosis. There are other reasons for a hip replacement as well, such as failed fixation after hip fractures, hip infections, and fractures of the neck of the femur (the part of the hip bone that connects the ball to the shaft).
In a total hip replacement, a surgical incision (cut) is made over the side of the hip and the neck of the femur is cut. The diseased hip ball is removed and a metal socket with plastic liner is placed in the socket. The femur bone is prepared for a stem, and connecting to the stem is a new metal ball. These pieces come in various sizes to fit your individual anatomy. The ball is placed in the socket and the incision is closed. After a hip replacement, the arthritis is gone and can’t come back! Most people return to work, activities, and driving within a few weeks. Most patients go home the day after surgery, however select patients can go home on the same day after surgery.
There are various ways (approaches) to get to the hip with surgery. The two most common ways are the direct anterior approach and the posterolateral approach. Please ask your doctor for an explanation of each, but there are doctors at OrthoSouth that can perform one or either of these approaches.
With anterior approach hip arthroplasty there is no detachment or cutting of the muscles around the hip during surgery. This can result in more normal hip mechanics after surgery, allowing a more normal gait and less need for pain medications, with quicker return to function and a lower risk of hip dislocation.
Physical therapy is needed after hip replacement to ensure continued muscle strength and a good outcome. The physical therapists at OrthoSouth are specially trained to get you strong and functional!
The goal of total or partial knee arthroplasty is to reduce pain and restore function and alignment in the knee.
The ends of our bones are coated with a substance called cartilage. Over time, due to a combination of age and genetics, this cartilage tends to erode leaving places of uncovered bone. This is what arthritis is – a loss of the cartilage cushioning and coating between bones that leads to arthritis.
There are several non-operative treatments available to treat the symptoms of arthritis. Unfortunately there is no cure.
Anti-inflammatories (e.g. Advil, Meloxicam) are a good choice for flare ups. It is not recommended long term due to effects on the kidneys and liver.
Cortisone Injections are an option that can be administered every 3-4 months as needed for symptoms. These decrease the inflammatory response within the joint to decrease symptoms. If you are diabetic, they may temporarily raise your blood sugar levels.
Hyaluronic acid injections (e.g. Orthovisc, Euflexxa) act to improve the quality of the synovial fluid within the joint. Synovial fluid is a substance naturally found in the joint that provides lubrication. The injections do not regrow cartilage.
When non-operative treatment does not provide symptom relief, you may consider a total or partial knee arthroplasty. A total knee arthroplasty is similar to retreading a tire. Small bone cuts are made to replace the articular surfaces of the joint with metal. A plastic spacer is inserted between the bones to act as a cushion.
BEFORE SURGERY
In the first image you can see that the tibia and femur are touching and that there is bone to bone contact with bowing of the knee. The second image shows again bone to bone contact between the femur and tibia. The third image reveals arthritic changes between the patella and femur.
AFTER SURGERY
In the first image you can see the femur has been resurfaced and a cap has been placed on the end which is also visible in the 2nd picture. The tibia has a plate placed upon the end of it. The empty space between the bones represents a plastic space between the bones. The last picture shows the patella which has been resurfaced and retained with a small plastic button on the back.
Mako Robotic-Arm Assisted Knee and Hip Replacement Surgery
Mako Robotic-Arm Assisted Surgery is a minimally-invasive joint replacement surgery technique performed using an advanced, surgeon-controlled robotic arm system. Utilizing the system, your surgeon develops a customized surgery plan that uses a CT scan of your anatomy to optimize positioning of the implant. During the surgery, your surgeon uses feedback from the robotic arm to make real-time adjustments that some surgeons believe results in better accuracy for placement of the implant.
Dr. Jean Simard performs Mako Robotic Arm joint replacement surgeries at St. Francis Hospital in East Memphis.
Several OrthoSouth knee experts offer patients the option to combine the benefits of robot-assisted knee replacement with the experience of same day knee replacement at our Germantown Surgery Center.
Mako SmartRobotics™ Total Joint Replacement Since completing the first Mako SmartRobotics™ Total Knee replacement in the Memphis area in 2018, I have been extremely impressed
Jerry Osborne’s Knee Replacement Happy Place: On the lake Jerry Osborne | 70 – knee replacement Comfortably back in competition.
CORI Robotics Assisted Knee Replacement – Webinar Dr. Wodowski discusses how the addition of robot-assistance in the outpatient setting enhances the patient experience in knee
The Ultimate Knee Replacement Experience Comes to the Mid-South OrthoSouth is the first and only center to offer the CORI robotics-assisted surgical system for knee
Same Day Joint Replacement at OrthoSouth Learn about Same Day Total Joint Replacement at OrthoSouth with Drs. Stephen Waggoner and Andrew Wodowski.
Running After Joint Replacement If you suffer from severe or chronic joint pain, then it’s likely you’ve already had to scale back running or quit
Learn more by visiting the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons website on total joint replacement.