01/09/2022
When Should Patients Consider Joint Replacement Surgery?
There are multiple factors in deciding when to consider joint replacement surgery. It is important that the diagnosis be correct. Some issues that can cause joint pain overlap with osteoarthritis. For example, hip pain is sometimes caused by a pinched nerve in the low back.
It is also important for the patient to try conservative measures before proceeding with surgery. In medicine, we are always weighing the risks and benefits of treatment. If a NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug) or a cortisone injection can keep you going, in general there are fewer risks to these treatments and are often preferred. Taking on the risks of surgery begin to make sense once these simpler treatments no longer work.
The third, and perhaps most important consideration, is how the pain affects you. I always ask my patients what their pain keeps them from doing. For some people it is exercise or sports such as tennis or golf. For other patients it is shopping. For many it is traveling or working in the garden. If you find yourself giving up on the things you love to do because of arthritis pain, I highly encourage you to have a conversation with a surgeon about joint replacement options.
The right time to do a surgery is when you have exhausted the other treatments and the pain from the osteoarthritis keeps you from being yourself.
Call our office for a consultation. Together we can determine if surgery is the right choice for you.
770-292-6500
Picture credit: Quesada
