Joint Replacement: Four Reasons Not to Wait

If you have been putting off knee or hip replacement surgery thinking it would be too painful or recovery would take too long, there’s good news. Orthopedic surgeon David Rodriguez, MD, is affiliated with Memorial Hermann Joint Center and explains how advances in pain management, surgical techniques and patient care have dramatically reduced the patient’s pain and recovery time and improved their long-term results and overall experience. Here are his four reasons why now may be the best time to consider joint replacement.

1. Little or No Pain

“Without a doubt, the greatest advancements made in joint replacement lately have been in the area of pain management,” says Dr. Rodriguez. “Ten years ago, after their surgeries, patients were in severe pain. They were disoriented, nauseated and constipated from the narcotics given to reduce that pain. And they were not in any shape to begin physical therapy.” Now, anesthesia and pain management techniques—employed before and during surgery—have led to dramatic reductions in pain and the need for pain medications following surgery: “We use long-acting local and regional anesthesia, some of which is injected right into the joint during surgery. These medications block transmission of pain impulses, significantly reducing the need for narcotics during and after the procedure. Within hours, patients are walking. Many go home the same day.”

2. Shorter Recovery Times

Less pain also can lead to faster recovery. “By controlling their pain, patients are able to perform range-of-motion exercises sooner. Before we began employing these pain management techniques, a patient’s pain—and the use of narcotics to control it—might have delayed their post-operative rehabilitation and physical therapy. A patient undergoing a knee or hip replacement 10 years ago would typically stay in the hospital three days, then undergo two weeks of inpatient physical therapy plus two weeks of home health care before even starting outpatient therapy. Now, our patients skip inpatient physical therapy and home health care entirely and start their outpatient rehab within a couple of days after surgery,” says Dr. Rodriguez.

3. Better Long-Term Results

Orthopedic surgeons affiliated with Memorial Hermann employ the latest surgical tools and technologies to improve surgical precision, including 3D navigational software to plan and perform surgeries, and robotics to make precise cuts and position implants during surgery. “Our use of robotics in knee and hip replacement surgery allows reproducibility of results in terms of component positioning, which in theory could lead to improvement in implant survivorship and long-term results. By utilizing the robot, we’re able to perform cuts that are more accurate and positioning that is more consistent and reproducible in every surgery,” says Dr. Rodriguez.

4. Enhanced Patient Experience

The experienced and skilled teams at Memorial Hermann Joint Centers focus specifically on the patient. “The Nurse Navigator is the quarterback, a registered nurse who serves as the patient’s coordinator of care,” says Dr. Rodriguez. “He or she is there to help the patient find a physician, schedule an initial appointment and coordinate their pre-surgery testing and education. On the day of surgery and throughout the patient’s stay at the Joint Center, the Nurse Navigator provides the patient with personalized support.” Joint replacement surgery has come a long way in the last five to 10 years. Often, patients are up and walking within hours of their surgeries, and same-day surgery has become a reality. Most important, patients are getting back to the activities they love sooner.

“The greatest advancements made in joint replacement lately have been in the area of pain management.” David Rodriguez, MD