Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint disease and is the most common joint disorder in the United States. Approximately 10% of men and 13% of women aged 60 or older suffer from symptomatic knee OA. Knees with OA undergo pathological changes including loss of cartilage, formation of bone spurs, inflammation of the tissue lining the joint, thickening of the joint capsule, and degeneration of the ligaments and menisci. Severity of OA is often graded on X-ray based on the amount visible … [Read more...] about How to Manage Knee Osteoarthritis
Flagstaff Bone and Joint
How Outpatient Total Joint Replacement has Improved
In the year 2000, the average length of hospital stay for hip and knee replacement patients in the United States was more than four days. By 2014, that number had halved to just over two days. This trend toward shorter lengths of stay ultimately resulted in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services removing total knee replacement (TKR) from the inpatient-only list in 2018, allowing TKR to be performed in inpatient or outpatient hospital settings. Total hip replacement (THR) was removed from … [Read more...] about How Outpatient Total Joint Replacement has Improved
Robotic Total Knee Replacement
Total knee replacement (TKR) is a successful surgery, reliably relieving pain and improving function in the setting of debilitating arthritic disease. However, studies show that up to 20% of patients remain unsatisfied with their knee replacement. Recent data from the American Joint Replacement Registry Annual Report showed that 88% of patients achieved a meaningful improvement after TKR in one validated outcome measure. Of course, this leaves 12% of patients who did not. For this reason, … [Read more...] about Robotic Total Knee Replacement
Why Anterior Total Hip Replacement is Gaining Popularity Above the Posterior Approach
A popular trend in the world of total joint arthroplasty is the anterior hip replacement. With this technique, the surgical approach works between anterior muscular and nervous planes without dividing or detaching them. In contrast, the posterior approach, long the workhorse approach for total hip replacement in America, requires splitting of the gluteus maximus muscle and detachment of muscles and tendons known as the “short external rotators” of the hip. The anterior approach requires … [Read more...] about Why Anterior Total Hip Replacement is Gaining Popularity Above the Posterior Approach
What is an Orthopedic Sports Medicine Surgeon?
Many people may generally know what an orthopedic surgeon is and does. An orthopedic surgeon is a physician who deals with musculoskeletal problems and can perform surgery to address those problems, if necessary. But what does it mean to be subspecialty trained? More specifically, what does it mean to be a sports medicine trained orthopedic surgeon? Sports medicine is a subspecialty of orthopedic surgery about which many people may have heard, but few people understand the training background … [Read more...] about What is an Orthopedic Sports Medicine Surgeon?
Facet Joint Arthritis
Lower back pain is the most common pain symptom experienced by American adults and the second leading reason for doctor visits. Back and neck pain can frequently be attributed to what is referred to as Facet Joint Arthropathy or arthritis, which is a degenerative disease that affects the joints of the spine and the breakdown of cartilage in those joints. Facet joints are small joints that are located on the back of the spine and allow for the spine to bend and twist without allowing the spine to … [Read more...] about Facet Joint Arthritis