If medication and physical therapy are no longer controlling your joint pain, you may have a degenerative condition called osteoarthritis that is breaking down the cartilage protecting the bones in your joints from rubbing against each other. If you are diagnosed with osteoarthritis, then joint replacement may be an effective option for relieving your pain and improving your quality of life.
Doctors used to advise patients to wait to have this surgery because artificial joints could wear out, requiring subsequent operations as the patient aged. Also, it was thought that younger people would be too active and stress the artificial joint.
Until recently, joint replacement was reserved for patients age 60-75. Today, more people in their 50s and even younger are having knee and hip replacements, not because their joints are being damaged faster, but because of improvements in implant technology and surgical technique.
The UCSF Arthritis and Joint Replacement Center provides joint treatment customized to your age, your condition and your lifestyle. Our joint specialists are experienced in treating joint problems resulting from a variety of chronic or traumatic conditions. A patient educator and a patient advocate ensure that patients and their families are fully informed and that patient care is personalized, comprehensive and convenient.
"It would take a special knee-replacement surgeon to do what my case called for, the Nevada doctor explained, and only a few surgeons in the country are qualified to undertake that type of surgery.
Dr. Michael Ries of UCSF Medical Center was the specialist I chose"
John Moberly