What is Arthroplasty (Joint Replacement) Surgery?

Arthroplasty means removing the damaged joint surface and replacing it with (most commonly) artificial materials, sometimes with harvested tissues from one’s own body & very rarely by removing that part altogether to take away the painful raw surface.

The most common type of material used for arthroplasty is metal (cobalt chromium) with an intervening high abrasive resistant medical grade plastic liner for smooth gliding of the metal component

Which Joints are suitable for Arthroplasty?

The most suitable joints for replacement are the Knee, Hip & Shoulder as they are big joints having large bone surfaces to hold the artificial lining better than smaller joints thus improving the longevity of the replaced joint

Which are the less commonly replaced joints?

Some Joints like the Elbow, Small finger joints, Intervertebral discs & ankle are less commonly replaced due to their less painful nature while others do not have long-lasting functions like the hip or the knee

Is there any age limit for replacement?

Ideally any joint should be replaced as the last resort but still some joints have better longevity than others like a well-done hip replacement can last for around 25-30 years a knee replacement can last for 15-20 years but others like Shoulder, elbow, disc, ankle do not have such long-lasting results so the age limit cannot be generalised & should be taken on person to person basis only & any viable alternative to replacement surgery should be sought first

What is the recovery process after replacement?

Again the recovery processes vary from joint to joint since the Hip & Knee are the most commonly replaced joints we will discuss their recovery in brief. Usually, the person is made to walk the next day with the help of a walker & putting a load on the operated leg as pain is tolerated. Gradual bending & strengthening exercises are begun the goal is to achieve a reasonable range of movement around 6 weeks so then the next phase of strengthening exercises can be started

So Joint Replacement surgery should be individualised for each person as per his/her need & the underlying problem with the joint