Joint care

Joint pain caused by arthritis, a fracture or other conditions can make routine activities painful and difficult. While noninvasive methods for pain relief are typically used when your joints begin to hurt, sometimes joint replacement is the most effective way of alleviating your pain and restoring movement.

Our orthopedic specialists are committed to helping you find the kind of joint replacement procedure. If it is right for you, there are a number of benefits to choosing an outpatient procedure, including:

Our orthopedic team uses an innovative approach to pain relief that begins prior to the start of surgery. This method for alleviating pain throughout each phase of your procedure, along with ice therapy, early ambulation and physical therapy, aids in your recovery.

Recuperating at home offers a number of benefits. Recovering in the familiarity of your own home increases your postoperative comfort, affords you more control over your surroundings and returns you to an environment in which you are more likely to get a good night’s sleep.

Our physical therapists are skilled in working with outpatient total joint patients. Their rapid approach will get you walking as soon as you arrive on the orthopedic unit, which significantly enhances your recovery. Their approach will help you regain as much function in the joint as possible.

The outpatient setting is not the right choice for patients who would benefit from an overnight stay in the hospital. Some need a higher degree of medical attention because of other existing conditions, but others may be perfectly suited for outpatient joint replacement. Your orthopedic surgeon will discuss your options with you and help you decide which approach is best for your specific situation.

You may benefit from outpatient total joint replacement if:

• You are taking few or no medications for chronic pain
• You were active before surgery
• You are motivated to participate in physical therapy

Total joint replacement is still a major surgical procedure, so having family or friends at home to help while you recover is important. We suggest having someone remain with you for at least 24 hours after returning home.