Joint Replacement

Joint replacement can restore your mobility and relieve pain after a traumatic injury. The Orthopedic Trauma Surgeons of Northern California team in Carmichael, California, specializes in joint replacement surgery. They perform full and partial joint replacements on knees, hips, shoulders, elbows, and other joints. 

What is joint replacement?

Joint replacement is surgery that removes a damaged natural joint and implants an artificial one (prosthesis). The prosthesis can be made of metal, plastic, ceramic, or a combination of these materials. In some cases, only one part of a joint needs replacing (partial joint replacement).

Joints form where two or more bone ends meet. The joint is held together by ligaments (tough connective tissues) and surrounded by muscles. Tendons attach the muscles to your bones, enabling you to move the joints. The bone ends are coated with cartilage, a smooth substance that prevents friction.

The most common joint replacements involve the hips and knees. But many other joints can be replaced, including the ankle, wrist, elbow, and shoulder.

Why might I need a joint replacement?

Most joint replacements happen when patients suffer irreversible joint deterioration caused by osteoarthritis. The Orthopedic Trauma Surgeons of Northern California team specializes in joint replacement following trauma.

Traumatic injuries often result from car accidents, falls, and playing contact sports. These injuries can often be surgically repaired using plates, pins, and screws. But a new joint might be your only choice if the bones are too severely shattered.

The Orthopedic Trauma Surgeons of Northern California team performs joint replacement surgery at Sutter Roseville Medical Center in Roseville and Mercy San Juan Medical Center in Carmichael, California.

What does joint replacement involve?

To begin a joint replacement, your surgeon removes the damaged bone and cartilage. Then they shape the remaining healthy bone ready to receive the prosthetic joint. You’ll almost certainly be under a general anesthetic and unaware of what’s happening.

Your surgeon fits the replacement parts, attaching them to the existing bone to form a new joint. The prosthesis imitates your natural joint’s shape and function.

The procedure takes several hours to complete. Depending on your injury, you could stay in the hospital overnight or longer. The Orthopedic Trauma Surgeons of Northern California team does a follow-up visit and monitors your progress during recovery.

Following joint replacement surgery, you must complete a physical therapy program to restore the joint’s function. The artificial joint should last for many years.