You, Only Better
What causes hip or
knee pain?
Daily life involves a lot of lifting and bending and twisting.
After a while, these everyday activities can damage your joints
and cause you to feel pain. If your joints hurt, they may be
telling you something’s wrong.
One of the most common causes of joint pain is osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis happens when the cartilage in your joints breaks down. Cartilage helps your bones move smoothly over each other, but when it wears away, the bones can rub against each other. This causes pain, swelling, and stiffness in the joints.
Other causes of knee and hip pain include fracture, traumatic injury, and bone loss due to poor blood supply.
How can you fix joint pain?
Start by talking with a doctor.
Your doctor will typically begin managing your hip or knee pain with non-surgical options such as physical therapy, injections, and medication. In many cases, these treatments will be sufficient to decrease your pain and improve your mobility.
If those methods aren’t enough, it may be time to look at surgical options to replace parts of your damaged joints.
Some telltale signs that you may be a candidate for joint replacement include:
- Persistent and severe hip pain
- Mobility limitations
- Reduced quality of life
I Want to Learn About
Local Hip and Knee Specialists
Dr. Brian C. Fuller
Carrollton, Texas
95%
Success in pain relief (1)
450K
Annual Procedures in U.S.
What is Hip Replacement?
In a hip replacement, the parts of your hip joint that are worn out or damaged are replaced with man-made materials – typically metal, ceramic, or plastic – in order to repair joint function and reduce or eliminate pain.
Your doctor and his surgical team will perform this operation in a minimally invasive manner, removing only the damaged parts of your joints and leaving the healthy parts intact. Maintaining as much of your natural bone and cartilage as possible will help preserve the biomechanics of your hip joint and make your rebuilt joint feel more natural.
Total vs. Partial Hip Replacement
There are two types of Hip Replacement surgery, total and partial.
To understand the difference between the two, it helps to know a bit about the design of your hip.
Your hip joint is made up of two parts: a ball – also known as the femoral head – and a socket that receives the ball and holds it in place. Both the ball and the socket are covered with cartilage, a smooth, slippery tissue that allows the bones to glide over each other with minimal friction and absorbs shock during movement. The entire structure is stabilized by ligaments, tough flexible cords that support the joint and control its range of motion.
Total Hip Replacement
In a Total Hip Replacement, both the ball and socket are replaced. This is typically performed in cases of severe joint damage.
Partial Hip Replacement
In a Partial Hip Replacement only one of the components that make up hip joint is replaced, allowing the patient to keep more of their natural bone, tissue and ligaments intact. This procedure is most common in less severe cases or those involving certain kinds of fractures.
About Knee Replacement
95%
Success in pain relief (FN)
450M
# Procedures Performed
450K
Annual Procedures in U.S.
Who needs Knee Replacement?
You don’t need to experience a traumatic injury to damage your knees. Simple daily tasks that involve bending and twisting and lifting can wear down the bone and cartilage within your knee, resulting in osteoarthritis.
The first line of treatment for osteoarthritis is non-surgical and may involve; physical therapy, lifestyle modifications like exercise and weight management, injections, and pain relief through medications such as acetaminophen or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).
If these non-surgical options are not sufficient to reduce pain and improve joint function, your doctor may recommend knee replacement surgery.
What is Knee Replacement?
During knee replacement surgery, damaged cartilage and bone are removed and replaced with man-made prostheses made out of plastic, metal or ceramic material. These new materials work to repair joint function and reduce or eliminate pain.
Depending on which areas of the knee are damaged, prostheses may be placed in up to three parts of the knee joint:
- The femur, or lower end of the thigh bone
- The patella, or backside of the knee cap
- The tibia, which is the larger bone in the lower leg
KNEE REPLACEMENT
Total vs. Partial Knee Replacement
A partial knee replacement is typically needed when only one part of the knee joint is damaged, such as the medial (inner) or lateral (outer) compartment, and the other parts of the knee are still healthy. This option preserves more of the patient’s natural knee and tends to involve a quicker recovery.
A full knee replacement, on the other hand, is necessary when the entire knee joint is damaged, often due to extensive arthritis or injury. In this case, all parts of the knee joint are replaced to relieve pain and restore function.
Total Knee Replacement
In a Total Knee Replacement the entire knee joint is replaced with artificial components. This is the most common type of knee replacement surgery and is typically performed in cases of advanced osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis.
Partial Knee Replacement
If only certain areas of cartilage are damaged, it may be possible to perform a Partial Knee Replacement. In order to be a good candidate for this procedure, a patient’s arthritis needs to be limited to one section of the knee. Partial knee replacements are more common in younger adults who’ve experienced an injury or trauma.
