Comprehensive Joint Program
KEEPING BODIES IN MOTION
Call our Total Joint Navigator at 205-333-4955 for questions or more information.
About Our Comprehensive Joint Program
Hip and knee joint replacement surgery can help restore your mobility, letting you return to your daily routine without the joint pain that’s been limiting you. We offer designated units specifically and exclusively for our joint replacement patients at both DCH Regional Medical Center and Northport Medical Center. Whatever you need, we’re here for you. You won’t go through this alone – you’ll have a whole unit of other patients who are experiencing the same things you are – and you can help and encourage one another.
Designated Unit - Specially Trained Help
We believe in being with you every step of the way. That’s why we’ve created a comprehensive program and a designated unit that includes a team of health professionals who oversee your care, from before surgery, to months after. Every person on this team is trained and dedicated to ensuring the best possible outcomes for our patients who are having, and recovering from, joint replacement surgery. And our patients are with other patients who are sharing the same experience and share mutual encouragement.
Joint Boot Camp
The DCH Comprehensive Joint Program includes “Joint Boot Camp,” a chance for patients to learn about procedures before they undergo joint replacement surgery for their knee or hip. In this class, you will be able to meet your entire care team and ask questions. You’ll also learn about your recovery period, and you’ll find out the best ways to prepare for your surgery, both before and after your joint replacement. This pre-surgery class will help you better know what to expect.
Joint Navigator
Our Comprehensive Joint Program also has a designated Joint Navigator, who will follow up with you for up to 90 days after your surgery. Each hospital offers this program, which helps our patients with group physical therapy on the unit with other joint patients. You may very well meet new friends in the program who are going through the same things you are, and you can support and encourage each other as you continue to improve after surgery.
Aftercare
Recovery from hip or knee replacement takes time. Our dedicated staff keeps in contact with each patient after surgery – both in the hospital and after they go home. The staff will check in with you, and we’ll help address any issues you may have. We’re also here to encourage you as you recover. Never hesitate to reach out with any concerns or questions.
Robotic-Assisted Joint Replacement Surgery
Robotic-assisted knee and hip implant surgery at DCH Joint Replacement Program offers a multitude of advantages for patients. Because it is so precise, this surgery allows for more accurate implant positioning. This can result in a more natural feeling after surgery. Additionally, this type of surgery offers improved safety and a reduced risk of injury to adjacent tissues. Robotic-assisted surgery also involves small incisions – which can mean a quicker recovery, a shorter hospitalization, and less pain.
All these factors combined increase the potential for a better outcome, and better long-term function, allowing patients to get back to their lives more quickly and with greater mobility.
How Robotic-Assisted Total Knee and Hip Replacement Works
Mako Robotic-Arm Assisted Technology, available at Northport Medical Center, provides you with a personalized surgical plan based on your unique anatomy. First, a CT scan of the diseased joint is taken. This CT scan is uploaded into the Mako System software, where a 3D model of your knee is created. This 3D model is used to pre-plan and assist your surgeon in performing your partial knee replacement.
In the operating room, your surgeon follows your personalized surgical plan while preparing the bone for the implant. The surgeon guides the robotic arm within the pre-defined area and the Mako System. The surgeon guides the robotic arm within the pre-defined area and the Mako System helps the surgeon stay within the planned boundaries that were defined when the personalized pre-operative plan was created.
THE BENEFITS
• A Precise Fit
Robotic hip and knee replacements is one of the recent advances in medical
technology that is making replacement surgery easier and more successful
than ever before. Our surgeons can now customize joint replacement surgery
to closely match the unique anatomy of each patient. This results in a
precisely fitting, long-lasting, and well-functioning hip implant.
• Precise Implant Placement
During the surgery, the surgeon guides the robotic arm to the location
of placement of the hip implant with the help of interactive data which
is updated in real time. With the robotic arm the surgeon can achieve
highly precise implant positioning and make adjustments during the procedure
for exact alignment.
• Reduced Failure Rate
Although the risk is minimal, hip and knee replacements can fail for several
reasons, including dislocation, infection, loosening, and mechanical problems
with the implant itself. When performed in the traditional way –
without robotic assistance – hip and knee implants are most prone
to loosening.
Using CT-derived simulation, the surgeon can position the implant in a way that allows for natural movement patterns. Doing so helps minimize the stress on the knee or hip, resulting in less friction and wear and tear of the implant. In addition to helping alleviate loosening issues, problems such as implant breakdown or leg length discrepancy are less likely to occur with robotic knee or hip replacement.
• Tissue Sparing
Robotic-assisted knee and hip replacement allows the surgeon to preserve
as much of the healthy bone tissue as possible while only removing damaged
or necrotic tissue.
• Faster Recovery
Patients who undergo robotic-assisted knee and hip replacement are often
up and about within a day or two after surgery. Yes, complete rehabilitation
may take a couple of months, but overall, robotic surgery allows for a
quicker, less painful recovery.
If conservative treatments have failed, robotic knee or hip replacement could be the answer. Advanced technology, in the capable hands of highly-skilled surgeons, allows for more successful outcomes for patients, with fewer post-surgical complications, more precise implant placement, reduced damage to surrounding tissues, and a faster, less painful recovery.
Hip or Knee Replacement
If you have tried numerous options to treat your hip or knee pain, and it continues, it’s time to talk with your doctor about knee or hip replacement.
You may be a candidate for hip or knee replacement if:
- You suffer severe knee or hip pain that limits your daily activities
- You have moderate pain in the affected joint(s) when you’re at rest during the day or at night
- You have knee or hip inflammation that’s long-lasting, along with swelling that does not improve with rest or medications
Hip or Knee replacement surgery involves replacing the damaged or worn hip or knee joint with an artificial one, either via minimally invasive or traditional, open surgery.
Some of the advantages of having hip and knee replacement at DCH include:
- Less pain
- Improved joint function
- Greater mobility
- Successful outcomes
- Comprehensive pre and post-operative care
3D Knee Implant
At the DCH Comprehensive Joint Program, we use the latest, most innovative technology available to ensure the best patient outcomes.
Ask your doctor if a 3D knee implant is right for you.
This latest technology utilizes your individual CT scan data, combined with proprietary software to manufacture a knee replacement implant made just for you. In doing so, you’ll receive an implant that’s designed to conform to your anatomy. This design allows your surgeon to preserve as much of your natural knee as possible, and this includes your own bone preservation. The implants are also thinner, allowing for less bone and healthy tissue removal.
What are the Advantages?
Having a 3-D knee implant performed as part of the DCH Comprehensive Joint Program offers several distinct advantages. The custom-made implants may mean you’ll experience:
- Less bone loss
- Less blood loss
- Less pain
- A faster recovery
- A better overall outcome
Contact Us
Your doctor can determine if you are a candidate for joint replacement surgery on your knee or hip. And, if you are, know that the DCH Comprehensive Joint Program is here to help you.