Joint Replacement - What All Should You Know?

Joint replacement surgery involves replacement of damaged joint with artificial implants called prosthetics. It is necessary to restore and maintain joint mobility and muscular strength as soon after surgery as possible to prevent tissue degradation and prosthesis failure. Physiotherapy is thus started immediately after surgery with simple and mild exercises which increase in intensity and duration till joint mobility and muscle strength is fully restored.

Joint replacement surgery is performed to replace joints damaged or degenerated due to trauma or diseases. All the major joints are eligible for replacement by prosthetics depending on the type of joint. Hip joints are ball and socket joints which are replaced by a metal ball head on the femur fitting into a metal, plastic, or ceramic socket in the pelvic bone. The knee joint and finger joints are hinge joints moving in a single direction, and are replaced by prosthetic parts mimicking this motion.

Joint replacement therapy is performed to replace movable joints with artificial prosthetics that mimic the motion of these joints to restore mobility. However, skull joints are immovable joints that form the protective cranium for the brain. Hence these joints cannot be and need not be replaced.

Surgical replacement of a joint involves replacement of just the joint with prosthetics that mimic the joint movement. The bones are not replaced, just the ends that connect in a joint.