As folks age, their joints change. Sometimes, this could lead to arthritis, inflicting ache in areas just like the knees and hips. Dr. Rafael Sierra, a Mayo Clinic orthopedic surgeon, says arthritis and joint replacements aren’t inevitable. However, situations like delivery defects and structural points can enhance the danger of hip or knee issues that will outcome within the want for alternative.
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Dr. Sierra needs to set the file straight about aging and joint replacements.
“The perception out there is that everybody’s going to need a hip replacement down the road, whether it’s knee or hip, everybody’s going to need some form of replacement. That’s not necessarily true,” he says.
He says it isn’t aging however anatomy that can predispose folks to knee or hip replacements down the street.
“This is a perfect example. This a patient that had a slip when they were very young. See, there’s an abnormal shape to the femur. And this abnormal shape will cause damage of this affected bone into the socket that would lead to hip arthritis,” says Dr. Sierra.
Joint replacements at present are extra profitable than ever — thanks to precision robotic surgical procedure.
“And today, with navigation systems, robotic systems, precision is what is now achievable in almost every patient,” Dr. Sierra says.
