Joint Replacement
Relief from joint pain
When your joints hurt, it feels like there’s never any relief. The pain at times can be merely discomforting and other times it can disrupt your life. The pain might be symptoms of a degenerative joint disease like osteoarthritis. If so, physical
therapy and pain management through medication might not be enough, leaving surgery as a possible option. Don’t let the fear of joint replacement keep you from living a life free of pain.
Most common reasons for joint replacement include:
- Developmental abnormalities of joint formation
- Genetic predisposition to abnormal cartilage metabolism
- Heredity
- Minor repetitive injuries
- Osteoarthritis
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Severe trauma to the joint cartilage
To learn about alternatives to surgery, you can schedule a visit with one of our doctors and discuss options like medication or physical therapy.
The three phases of joint replacement
Before joint replacement surgery
After you and your doctor have decided that joint replacement is your best option, you will need to be evaluated for fitness to undergo surgery. Once cleared for surgery, you should take the time to learn what to expect and how to prepare.
If
you are scheduled for a total joint replacement procedure, Good Samaritan Medical Center offers Total Joint Replacement Preadmission Classes. Taught by representatives from Nursing and Physical Therapy, you will learn what to expect before, during
and after your surgery and be able to ask any questions you may have. The class is offered the second and fourth Tuesday of every month, from 10am to 11am in the Pre-admission Testing Room (PAT Room) on the first floor of the Hospital.
After joint replacement surgery
In the recovery room we will monitor you for any complications. After you have recovered from the anesthesia and are fully alert, you are relocated to a regular hospital room.
Before beginning your physical therapy, practice moving the joint as much as possible. A therapist will aid your progress and help manage the pain through medication. Upon completing physical therapy, you are discharged from the hospital and given home
rehabilitation instructions so that you can regain full mobility in your joint.
