Close
Enter your
text here

3 Things Young People Need to Know to have the BEST Joint Replacement Surgery

3 Things Young People Need to Know to have the BEST Joint Replacement Surgery 1024 397 Best Practice Health TV

The stakes for having a total joint replacement are high for everyone—you only get one chance to have it done right the first time. For young people with congenital hypoplasia or post-traumatic arthritis, the stakes are even higher. Errors in the placement or defects in components of your new joint may show up slowly over time. The longer you live with a new joint the more time there is for any small error to catch up with you.

So, if you are under 60 and need a new hip, knee or shoulder, you have a right to feel overwhelmed. But that won’t help. So, I’m here to give you all the information necessary to get the best joint replacement available today.

Spoiler alert: it’s all about the surgeon. Don’t believe me? Just ask them. (If you have never met an orthopedic surgeon, disregard that last part, it won’t seem funny). But it’s true. The most important thing you can do to ensure a good outcome from your joint replacement surgery is pick the right joint replacement surgeon.

To pick the right joint replacement surgeon you first need to know three things.

  1. Approach matters. There are three approaches to choose from: posterior, anterior, and lateral. Posterior is the legacy approach no one needs anymore as it has a longer recovery and permanently weakens your hip so much the surgeon has to give you permanent restrictions. Lateral comes in two flavors: direct superior and superPATH. In my opinion as of this date there is not compelling evidence of any benefit to anterior, direct superior or superPATH, so they’re all good.
  2. I would not have surgery without a robotic assistant. True, the robot does make the surgeon 400% more accurate. But the real reason for me is the implant selection. The surgeon uses the robot to create a model of your hip during the procedure and picks the parts to give you the best range of motion and correct any deformity.
  3. Get the procedure done in an Ambulatory Surgery Center. Hospitals are full of COVID, medical mistakes, and legacy orthopedic surgeons. When celebrities like Kris Jenner need joint replacement surgery they get it in the luxury, safety, and convenience of an ambulatory surgery center; you should, too.

That’s all for now. In summary, you need to find an orthopedic surgeon who does the anterior, direct superior or superPATH approach with a robotic assistant, in an ambulatory surgery facility. Chances are they will be a high-volume surgeon, which cuts your chance of a serios complication in half. And since they use the robot they are locked in to top-rated, registry proven implants.

Call me if you are confused.

Dr. Dan Lieberman, MD

You might also like