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New total knee replacement statistics show rates for the surgery are soaring. With drastically increasing rates in the numbers of total knee replacements, comes the likelihood that the health care system, including patients, orthopedic surgeons, physical therapists and other providers, will need to address growing numbers of complications from the surgery and implants. According [...] New research presented Tuesday, Feb 7 at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons suggests total knee replacement may do more than relieve pain and disability among elderly patients with osteoarthritis. Resurfacing the worn knee joint with total knee replacement surgery also might lower patients’ probability of heart failure and death. [...] Physical therapy—specifically, a program aimed at improving walking skills—helps patients regain walking distance and stair-climbing ability following total hip arthroplasty, also known as total joint replacement surgery. Researchers in Norway found that the physical therapy-led program’s benefits on physical function continued at least a year following hip replacement surgery. While hip replacement patients [...] People who grow to depend on opioids, or narcotic pain relievers, for pain management and relief prior to having knee replacement surgery have more difficulty recovering from the surgery, according to a study published Nov. 2, 2011 in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. Not only did opioid-dependent knee replacement patients tend to have [...] |
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