What to Expect From Total Joint Replacement

Your joints hold it all together, offering enough flexibility to keep things moving smoothly — not an easy task! So, it’s no surprise that joint problems affect the lives of many people.

Due to factors like wear-and-tear, degenerative medical conditions, and injuries, joints like your shoulders, elbows, hips, and knees can experience damage or dysfunction. Joint injuries leave you experiencing painful symptoms and a lessened range of motion. It also makes it difficult to move around.  

At Twin Palm Orthopedics of Ocala, Florida, our team of orthopedic surgery experts, under the leadership of Dr. Derek Farr and Dr. Nirav Gupta, treat new and existing patients with joint issues. If your joint problems are advanced, we may recommend total joint replacement surgery for your affected shoulder, elbow, hand, hip, or knee.

Here’s what you should know about total joint replacement surgery.

Advanced joint replacement prosthetics

During a joint replacement surgery procedure, your provider at Twin Palm Orthopedics removes the worn and damaged parts of your joint, replacing them with prosthetic parts that function the same way your joint used to when it was healthy.

Today’s orthopedic medicine takes advantage of the advanced prosthetics available to replace worn-out or damaged joints. Prosthetics can be made from metal, ceramic, or plastic.

The most common joint replacements are for hips and knees, but we can also use prosthetics and surgery to improve function and reduce joint pain in your wrists, hands, elbows, ankles, and shoulders.

What to know about joint replacement surgery

Many people need joint replacement due to a lifetime of wear-and-tear and conditions like osteoarthritis. In fact, you’re more likely to need a partial or total joint replacement procedure as you get older. We use exams including X-rays and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to understand more about the condition of your joints before recommending partial or total joint replacement.

When possible, the Twin Palm Orthopedics team performs your surgical procedure with the aid of state-of-the-art Mako® robotic-arm-assisted tools. Joint replacements typically take about two hours to complete.

Our team makes an incision to remove damaged bone and cartilage from the joint in question. We preserve your tissues, bones, and ligaments as much as possible.

Recovery after joint replacement surgery

It can take time to recover from a joint replacement procedure. The Twin Palm Orthopedics team is behind you every step of the way with supportive rehabilitative physical therapy and exercise during the weeks or months following your surgery.

Talk to your provider about what to expect in terms of your unique preparation and recovery needs. The pain typically resolves within a few months of the procedure.

For more information on what you can expect from joint replacement procedures, get in touch with Dr. Farr and Dr. Gupta at Twin Palm Orthopedics today. Call 352-316-7271 to schedule your appointment or request an appointment online.