Joint Replacement Surgery

Joint Replacement Basics

Replacing a joint in your knee or hip is a big step. As you consider making such a commitment to your good health and pain-free living, you can rely on Crozer Health's total joint replacement surgical team for accurate and up-to-date information about the process.

How Joints Function

When the ends of two or more bones come together, they're connected by thick tissues to form a joint. Cartilage covers the ends of the bones within a joint. Synovium, the smooth lining of the fibrous envelope enclosing each joint, produces fluid that reduces friction and wears on the cartilage, allowing nearly effortless and pain-free movement. To function well, joints also depend on strong muscles surrounding them to provide support, strength, and stability.

The Need for Joint Replacement

Damage to the cartilage between bone ends in a joint often results in pain so severe you may do all you can to avoid using the joint. Lack of use leads to weaker muscles around the joint, which means it’s even more difficult to move. Replacing a damaged joint can help return you to your regular activities by using an artificial joint (prosthesis) to improve joint motion and mechanics.

Joint Replacement Process

During joint replacement surgery, damaged cartilage and ends of bone are replaced with metal and plastic surfaces shaped to restore proper movement and function. The prosthesis is typically made from stainless steel, titanium or alloys of cobalt and chrome, as well as durable plastic, and can allow you to move again without pain. Special plastic cement is used to anchor the prosthesis to the bone, unless the new components fit and lock together directly.

Rehab & Recovery

Physical rehabilitation is the last part of your joint replacement journey and one of the most important. You and your care team at Crozer Health will identify the best path to help you regain full range of motion, strength, stability, and function using your new joint.

Your personal plan for therapy will be developed by your care team and our specially trained therapists to help you achieve your recovery goals. Rehab options include:

• Self-care at home. Individualized exercise programs, developed in cooperation with our trained therapists and supported by your designated caregiver, are often combined with outpatient rehabilitation sessions to help you regain mobility and function
• Outpatient rehabilitation. Physical therapy sessions, two or three times each week at a gym or special location for supervised exercise to build strength, flexibility, and stamina.
• Inpatient rehabilitation or skilled nursing facility. Physical and occupational therapy sessions as part of a live-in environment can help you become safely mobile and functional when you return home. Inpatient rehabilitation is typically reserved for those with special needs.

Your recovery is in your hands and you can go as far as you want. We support you with connections to resources, suggestions for helpful equipment, options for pain management and appropriate medications to use after your procedure, as well as information and encouragement all along the way.