Hip Surgery Bethesda | Osteoarthritis Rockville

A New Approach to Hip Surgery
Source: The New York Times Health

Larry Kufel had always been an active man, tall and rangy, who worked out regularly and picked up basketball games at the gym. But age was taking a toll on his joints, and it had become clear that he needed a hip replacement.

“It got to the point, if I did any exertion, even getting out of a chair, it felt like the muscle was tearing away from the bone,” he recalled.

Smoking is bad to the bone
Source: Daily Rx

The body is designed to heal after breaking a bone. But it may not be designed to heal a broken bone while processing cigarette smoke and nicotine.

A recent study looked at the differences between smokers and non-smokers when healing from a broken bone. Results showed that smokers took several extra weeks to heal from a fracture.
Smokers also had higher odds of the fracture not healing properly.

Cartilage damage helps detect osteoarthritis?
Source: ivanhoe.com

Osteoarthritis is the most common joint disorder and affects about one-third of older adults. New research suggests that cartilage damage from exercise may aid in early detection of osteoarthritis.

"We discovered that GAG-depleted tissue is most vulnerable to high rates of loading and not just the magnitude of the load. This finding suggests that people with early degradation of cartilage, even before such changes would be felt as pain, should be careful of dynamic activities such as running or jumping,” Grodzinsky was quoted as saying.

A new approach to hip surgery
Source: The New York Times Health

The procedure that Mr. Kufel received is called anterior hip replacement. The surgeon makes the incision at the front of the hip instead of through the buttocks or the side of the hip. This approach permits the doctor to reach the hip socket without cutting through major muscle groups. Proponents claim that the procedure results in less pain and fewer complications for patients than standard hip replacement.

Hip surgery flip! Direct Anterior Hip Replacement
Source: ivanhoe.com

The numbers are sky-rocketing. There were more than 300 thousand total hip replacements in 2010, that’s up 135 thousand compared to just ten years earlier. As more and more people need help to relieve the pain, there’s an option that’s becoming popular with patients and surgeons.

“It’s a less invasive approach,” Stefan Kreuzer, MD, associate professor at Memorial Hermann Hospital, told Ivanhoe.

He went through the front of her leg to get to her hip, instead of the more traditional technique of going through the back.

The doctor says the normal post-operative restrictions on hip movements do not apply to patients who undergo direct anterior hip replacement. He tells us it great for most people in need of a hip replacement, including highly active patients. The doctor is currently training surgeons from around the world on the technique.

New technique revolutionizing hip-replacement surgery
Source: palmbeachpost.com

“It’s a ‘micro-invasive’ technique,” says Grandic.

And it offers myriad advantages over other techniques.

“All muscles, tendons, ligaments and soft tissue are spared, and the hip socket is never twisted into unnatural positions during surgery,” Grandic explains.

Thus, he says, patients experience little or no post-operative discomfort; are able to walk immediately, with no restrictions; and are usually discharged from the hospital within 24 to 48 hours.

Quit smoking and enjoy that new hip
Source: Daily Rx

Total hip replacement and smoking cigarettes just don’t mix. That’s because smoking can cramp the healing process. Even quitting just before surgery is better than not quitting at all.

Researchers recently studied a group of patients who had undergone total hip replacement surgery.

Patients who were current smokers had higher rates of infection, pain and loosened hip joints, which had to be corrected with a second surgery, compared to non-smokers.

New surgery makes hip replacement easier
Source: charlotteobserver.com

The surgery is extensive. It involves removing the joint – the damaged bone and cartilage – and replacing it with prosthetic parts made of metal, plastic or ceramics. Typically, surgeons enter the joint from the rear, which requires cutting through muscle and cartilage. But a relatively new procedure enables surgeons to enter from the front and only stretch the muscles aside, avoiding the cutting and minimizing pain and recovery time. Those who use this anterior technique say the benefits are substantial.

Knee osteoarthritis patients have improved knee loads when using specialized mobility shoe
Source: Daily Rx

When patients with knee osteoarthritis are walking, their knees may jut out to the side. Shoes that imitate barefoot walking can help with that.

A recently published study found that wearing a "mobility" shoe keeps the knee joint more aligned in knee osteoarthritis patients.

Using flat, flexible footwear can significantly reduce knee loading in patients with the joint condition, according to researchers.

ACL surgery techniques using double versus single bundle ligaments provide equal stability
Source: Daily Rx

Surgery for a blown anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) inside the knee is becoming more and more common. New techniques to perform the surgery are on the rise across the country.
Damaged ACLs that were replaced using a double-bundle technique during surgery were as stable as patients who received the single-bundle technique, according to a study presented at a conference.

In double-bundle, the new ligament has two parts whereas the single bundle just has one.

Total knee replacements for juvenile idiopathic arthritis last for decades in most patients
Source: Daily Rx

People typically think knee replacement surgery is only for older adults with arthritis. But the surgery is also used for young patients when joint damage has become severe.

Recently, researchers found knee replacements did not last as long in young patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) as they do in older osteoarthritis patients.

Still, the procedure can be a life-changer for many patients with JIA – a painful disease that affects children.

In patients with JIA, about 92 percent of knee replacements lasted 10 years and a little over 75 percent lasted 20 years.

Patients with diabetes at no greater risk for infection or other complications after total knee replacement
Source: newsroom.aaos.org

Patients with diabetes were no more likely to suffer infection, deep vein thrombosis(a deep vein blood clot) or other complications following total knee replacement(TKR) than patients without diabetes, according to new research published online today, in advance of its publication in the March 2013 Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (JBJS).

Which knees need the knife?
Source: Daily Rx

Jeffery Katz, MD, of Orthopedic and Arthritis Center for Outcomes Research Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, and colleagues led the study to determine if patients with a meniscal tear and knee osteoarthritis had better outcomes with surgery plus physical therapy or just physical therapy.

Return-to-work rate high after knee replacement
Source: webmd.com

Getting back to work after knee-replacement surgery is a big concern for people contemplating the procedure. Now, a new study shows that most people return to work after a total knee replacement — even those with physically demanding jobs.

"We are now reaching a population that is younger and actively working. Most have very arthritic knees and expect to go back to work," Orozco said. Better implant materials that support more weight, improved surgical techniques that spare muscle, and better post-surgery patient care plans — including pain management and physical therapy — have increased the popularity of knee replacement in recent years, he said.