New Technologies for Patient Education on Joint Replacement

The new “Direct Anterior Total Hip” approach is a remarkable improvement in primary total hip surgery. A special table is used (HANA table) that pulls traction on the leg allowing the surgeon to complete the procedure without cutting a single muscle!

Patient Education on New Technologies that Allow Joint Replacements to Last Longer

The “six million dollar” man may not be a fictional concept much longer. Patient education is available on new technologies that make artificial joints last longer. Orthopedic surgeons are enjoying increased success at replacing human joints with better and longer lasting “machines”. Space age bio-materials and computer assisted improvements are now helping patients with joint pains and arthritis live a better and more active life.

The anterior hip replacement procedure is more accurate because it is checked under real time Xray
The anterior hip replacement procedure is more accurate because it is checked under real time Xray

Most people personally know a friend or relative who has had a total hip or total knee replacement. The general perception is that joint replacements are very successsful at relieving severe pain but they have a relatively short lifespan, requiring revision in 10 to 15 years. Newer technologies are predicted to improve the lifespan of modern joint replacements to 30 years and beyond. It is now possible to do these operations on younger, more active patients, and feel good about the long term prospects.

Previous recommendations to avoid certain sports and labor are softening as we see patients doing better with activities such as tennis, golf, and skiing. Major advances involve using less invasive “tissue sparing” approaches to the hip and knee joints. By limiting the soft tissue trauma as the implants are placed on the skeleton, the functional recovery is accelerated. As the Medical Director of the Scottsdale Healthcare Total Joint Replacement Center on the Osborn campus, we have established a program that emphasizes a very rapid recovery. All patients are assisted to walk about 2 hours after their surgery is completed with full weight bearing.

Our patients often are up walking in the recovery room. This man went home the same day as his anterior total hip surgery.
Our patients often are up walking in the recovery room. This man went home the same day as his anterior total hip surgery.

Patients have their surgery with a air pumping boot on the non-operative leg to keep blood circulating at all times, and they are up walking so fast and they spend less time in bed. We have seen a huge decrease in problems with vein disease and clotting, and most patients are treated with two simple aspirin pills a day to help thin the blood. New techniques in “regional” anesthesia have decreased the pain associated with knee replacement surgery. A femoral nerve block is placed in the pre-operative area which greatly decreases the knee pain upon waking up, yet still allows early ambulation. Knee implant designs are also improving, which will significantly increase the life span of total knees.

Both a fixed bearing and a mobile bearing design with highly cross-linked polyethylene inserts are used in younger and more active patients. The rotating platform allows a few degrees of twisting motion in the knees during sports such as tennis and golf, and can act as an additional shock absorber over the long term in very young patients Partial knee replacements are done in patients with an arthritis limited to one side of the knee. These are done through a very small incision that does not violate the quadriceps muscle, and recovery is very rapid. A mobile bearing partial total knee is available that has greatly extending the lifespan of the implant. Patients with partial knees often go home after a one night stay in the hospital, and in most cases do not need formal physical therapy to regain their knee motion. The partial knee procedure is also less stressful on elderly patients and patients with significant heart or vascular disease.

Daphne played tennis at Wimbledon in the old days. Her total knee will let her play again!
Daphne played tennis at Wimbledon in the old days. Her total knee will let her play again!

On the total hip side, new materials will likely lead to longer lasting hips. High strength and light weight porous titanium implants encourage bone ingrowth creating a potentially permanent bond with the skeleton. Much improved bearing surfaces have been shown to last many more years before wearing down, and may never wear out in some patients. This includes ceramic materials, and very dense polyethylene plastic which in laboratory testing lasts many more years than earlier plastics. When these plastics are soaked in Vitamin E during manufacture, they resist oxidation, and last longer. Larger diameter femoral heads are now routinely used to increase hip stability and range of motion. This allows patients to do more activities earlier, as the risk of hip dislocation is much less than it used to be with smaller diameter femoral heads.

The new “Direct Anterior Total Hip” approach is a remarkable improvement in primary total hip surgery. A special table is used (HANA table) that pulls traction on the leg allowing the surgeon to complete the procedure without cutting a single muscle! Some patients can go home the same day as the surgery, but most stay overnight and go home in the morning with no hip dislocation precautions. This creates an extremely fast recovery, back to work, or back to golf! many of my patients tell me they have no pain, and they often use only Tylenol or Motrin for pain relief. Quite remarkable!

Younger patients are getting total hips now. With new and better materials, they will last longer.
Younger patients are getting total hips now. With new and better materials, they will last longer.

The bottom line is that younger patients are now better candidates for joint replacement surgery than in the past. More patients are choosing to get rid of their disabling joint pains and get on with the most productive times of their life. It is a very fulfilling time for joint replacement surgeons, as we feel we have more tools to offer patients better and more long lasting results than ever before.