As we grow old, our body and its various joints also age, bringing in many complications. Once the joints age, it becomes difficult to stay active and perform daily chores easily. Along with inability in action, it may also become a cause of severe pain and associated complications. Therefore you may require a total joint replacement in order to live a healthy and active life. But thanks to growing technology, one can now avoid total joint replacement surgery by choosing the alternative arthosurface.
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What is Arthosurface?
Arthosurface was developed in 2004 and is a less invasive treatment for curing painful joints. It is best suited for those who are too old for undergoing a biological treatment or for young people who are active and therefore cannot not have a total joint replacement surgery. It can be compared to how a dentist fills the cavity instead of removing the teeth; similarly arthosurface merely fills the area where the cartilage is missing with appropriate implant. This enables the joints to stay intact and function normally.
To cite an example of its effectiveness, a patient named Beverly had constant pain in her right knee causing the bones to rub along each other, making it difficult for her to undertake daily chores. When she consulted her doctor, she made it clear to him that she did not wish to have a total joint replacement surgery due to her age and activity level. Her doctor suggested a specialized surgery known as arthosurface. A total knee replacement involves replacing the entire knee joint, but in case of arthosurface, only a metal cap and a piece of plastic is placed, keeping the joint intact. Rather than bone on bone movement, the joint now experiences movement between smooth surfaces to smooth surface. This enables easy and smooth movement. It is ideal for those with localized arthritis, as this prevent the progression of arthritis to the entire knee. Today Beverly feels fantastic and is able to live an active life just as she did before.
The arthosurface procedure can be carried out on knees, foot, shoulders and hips.
Who Can Use Arthosurface?
The best candidates for this procedure are those between 42 to 62 years of age, especially with localized arthritis. Since its launch, over 40, 000 patients have benefitted from it. As mentioned earlier, due to growing age, the joints become weaker and the pain becomes a nuisance.
Although you may have tried physical therapy and pain killer injections to subdue the pain, it usually does not have a lasting effect. Arthroscopy and micro fracture procedures may help, but the pain usually returns if you indulge in activities such as running, cycling etc. Therefore it is important to opt for a more durable option – athosurface.
The biggest advantage of arthosurface procedure is that it allows you to undertake normal routine activities without experiencing pain. People aged between 45 to 60 years of age usually have a healthy and active lifestyle. In such a case, a total replacement surgery will leave you immobile and you won’t be able to participate in usual activities. But with arthosurface, such problems are eliminated.
Clinical studies show the effectiveness of arthosurface patients report outstanding relief from pain along with quick recovery.
Advantages of Arthosurface
- Extremely effective in pain relief
- Fast and efficient recovery after the procedure
- Only the defected area is restored and not the entire joint
- Custom fit implants for every patient
- Healthy ligaments, cartilage and bone of the patient is preserved unlike in total joint replacement surgeries where significant amount of bone and tissue is removed
- The implant is strong but thin and is also less invasive
- The procedure performed as an outpatient procedure
- Patient can return to work soon and indulge in activities normally
- The patient’s own joint curvatures are used to restore defect
We can thus summarize that arthosurface is a new age technology that is less invasive with better results.
