Published on April 15, 2011

Do You Have Painful Joints?

Find out if you’re a candidate for joint replacement

You have trouble getting out of a chair or going up stairs.... Pain from arthritis has drastically limited your daily activities...You’ve tried non-surgical treatments for joint pain to no avail.

If you’ve wondered if you are a candidate for total joint replacement, then a collaboration between Genesis and ORA Orthopedics is making it easy for you to get some personalized answers.

Take these steps

If you have a painful hip or knee joint, learn if you are a candidate for joint replacement by taking these steps:

• Call (563) 421-3200 and register by May 2 to have an x-ray screening at the Illini Campus in Silvis or register by May 6 to have the screening in Davenport. When you call, a nurse will ask you a series of questions.
• If you’re a candidate, the nurse will schedule you for a screening x-ray. You also will receive an appointment for “Joint Effort Educational Day” -- held either May 14 at the Illini Campus in Silvis or May 21 in Bettendorf. Review your x-ray with an ORA Orthopedics’ surgeon and meet some of the staff who would provide your care. Even if you don’t have an x-ray, come to the Educational Day to learn about your options.

“A lot of people have questions about whether the time is right for a total joint replacement,” says Elaine Martin, Director of Surgical Services at Genesis Medical Center, Davenport. “They have joint pain in their hip or knee, trouble going down steps, pain when they’re trying to sleep or just pain all the time. The pain is not necessarily always controlled with medication. They wonder, ‘Should I work through the pain?’ or ‘Am I a candidate for joint replacement?’

“This effort allows people to listen to an orthopedic specialist to discuss when the time is right and what to expect. The doctor can bring them answers and peace of mind. The x-ray results can determine if they need a total joint replacement sooner rather than later.”

At “Joint Effort Day,” watch an overview about joint replacement surgery. See and touch replacement joints. Learn about the physical therapy you will need after surgery. Find out about the various medical equipment and the Genesis VNA services that can assist you when you’re recovering at home after your hospital stay. Visit with a social worker; learn about pain control; and, meet some of the Genesis health care professionals who provide care to total hip and knee replacement patients.

Genesis has held similar efforts over the past couple of years.

“People considering total joint replacement can meet the physicians, get their questions answered and really get a sense of the entire team -- all the people who will be involved in their care from the therapists and surgical and anesthesiology team to the nurses, the visiting nurses, and pre-admission staff,” says Colette Kissling, Nurse Manager of the Illini Campus Operating Room.

“Genesis also offers pre-surgery classes to patients who will undergo total joint replacement. This has been a very successful way for our patients to prepare for a great surgical experience. Joint Effort Day is a broad overview and introduction for people, and a great opportunity for them to have their questions answered.”

Kissling adds, “We’ll even have samples of the prostheses, so participants can really see what their new joint would look like.”

More than 700,000 primary total hip and knee replacements are performed each year in the United States, and demand for the surgery is expected to double in the next 10 years, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Contributing to an increased demand is an aging population, an obesity epidemic that’s contributing to failing joints, increased arthritis in the general population, and a better ability to do the procedure.

Another major reason for the explosive growth is the increase in younger patients. Projections show that soon more than 50 percent of patients requiring hip replacements will be under the age of 65; the knee-replacement population will reach that threshold by 2016.

“The success rate for total hip and knee replacement is very high and very predictable. Most patients do very well,” Martin concludes.

To participate, take the first step soon by calling (563) 421-3200 and talk to a nurse.