Joint Replacement
At some point in every person's life, you will need an assisted medical device - whether it's your glasses, your contacts, or as you age and you have a hip replacement or a knee replacement or a pacemaker. The prosthetic generation is all around us - Aimee Mullins

image by: Monica Robins (WKYC)
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Need a New Knee or Hip? A Robot May Help Install It
In the first joint replacement surgery in 1890, the German surgeon Themistocles Gluck implanted “carved and machined pieces of ivory” into joints diseased by tuberculosis — starting with a knee replacement for a 17-year-old girl, according to the medical historian and author Dr. David Schneider.
The implants used today, as well as those doing the implanting, are radically different from those in the days of Themistocles Gluck.
In thousands of such procedures, robots are now assisting surgeons to ensure an optimum fit of the new joint. Although many doctors still perform the procedures successfully without their assistance, the robots’ ability to help achieve more precise implant…
Resources
Hip and Knee Replacement Patients Are Getting Younger
Doctors are no longer waiting decades to give patients new hips and knees. But before you trade yours in, there are a few things you should know. Read more: http://www.oprah.com/health_wellness/hip-and-knee-replacements-for-younger-people_2#ixzz6jyKGW257
Hovering Cuts Hospital Returns After Joint Replacemnt
The rate of hospital readmissions for hip and knee replacement patients declined from roughly 12% to 3% when they were part of a “hovering” program, according to a new study.
How long does a joint replacement last?
Joint replacement surgery represents one of the biggest and most life-changing advances in modern medicine. It has meant the difference between disability from crippling arthritis and nearly normal mobility for millions of people in recent decades. The hip and knee are, by far, the most commonly replaced joints, and they have the most reliable results.
What You Must Know About Joint Replacement
Whether you really need it—and how to prep for it if you do.
After Knee or Hip Replacement, No Place Like Home
It may surprise many to learn that, even if joint replacement patients live alone, the overwhelming majority recover equally well and may experience fewer complications if they go home directly from the hospital and get outpatient rehabilitation instead of spending days or weeks in a costly rehab facility.
Before you consider a joint replacement-what you need to know
Getting a new joint can bring you out of the tunnel and back into your normal routine. But before you embark on surgery, there are other, less invasive therapies you can try.
Boomers line up for joint replacements, and their expectations are high
For a generation that pounded its joints doing aerobics, running marathons, and carving up the ski slopes, it’s time to roll out the spare parts.
Do You Have to Stop Running After Joint Replacement?
Doctors have long warned that high-impact exercise will cause new devices to wear out faster. But not everyone’s convinced that’s true.
Getting a New Knee or Hip? Do It Right the First Time
THERE is nothing like a new hip or knee to put the spring back in your step. Patients receiving joint implants often are able to resume many of the physical activities they love, even those as vigorous as tennis and hiking. No wonder, then, that joint replacement is growing in popularity.
How long will my hip or knee replacement last?
For people considering hip or knee replacement surgery, it’s something they want — and need — to know.
Is obesity a reason to avoid joint replacement surgery?
“Come back when you’ve lost 40 pounds.” That’s something obese patients have heard often when being evaluated for a hip or knee replacement for severe arthritis. And sometimes the recommendation is to lose even more — 50, 75, or even 100 pounds… as if that’s an easy or realistic prospect. As you might expect, patients hearing this often feel disappointed and disheartened.
It’s Not Your Parents’ Hip Replacement Surgery
Perhaps the most exciting aspect of modern hip replacement is the increasing use of robotic surgery.
Total Joint Replacement and the Impact on Future Falls in Osteoarthritis Patients
Patients who have had a total joint arthroplasty (TJA) demonstrate excellent long-term outcomes with increased mobility and improved ability to complete their activities of daily living. However, there is still an ongoing debate whether patients who have undergone TJA are at an increased risk of falls and fragility fractures. Total joint arthroplasty reduces the long term risk of traumatic falls in elderly patients with hip or knee osteoarthritis.
Need a New Knee or Hip? A Robot May Help Install It
As more people strive to stay active on aging frames, robots and other technologies are likely to play a wider role in helping surgeons replace joints.
4 ways to put off joint replacement
Every surgical procedure carries the risk of complications — or even death. Because the average joint that's replaced only lasts 10 to 15 years, having the procedure done at age 50 instead of 70 means there's a good chance you'll need a second procedure when you're older and at higher risk for complications. Here are three tips that can help you extend the life of your natural joints and keep the need for replacement in the very distant future.

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