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Who Is The Ideal Candidate For Joint Preservation?

Damage to the joint can happen due to an accident/injury or a disease. It can happen in both adults and senior citizens and significantly affect the quality of your life by decreasing the range of motion and causing a lot of pain. Joint preservation can restore the normal range of motion in your joint and help them function without the need for replacement. 

If you or your loved one is struggling with a damaged joint, one of the first things you must do is determine whether you are a good candidate for the procedure. There are several factors that decide if joint preservation Cumming will work well for you or fail. It is essential to know the success rate to make an informed decision and avoid wasting your money.  

What are the available options to preserve my joint?

Joint preservation is one of the best methods to restore the functionality of your joint. It can either be done surgically or non-surgically. However, there are other methods of joint preservation as well. They include the following: 

Non-surgical: 

  • Physiotherapy
  • Off-loading braces
  • Exercises
  • Various Joint Injections
  • Lifestyle changes
  • Radiofrequency Ablation
  • Painkillers
  • Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) Therapy

Surgical: 

  • Osteotomy
  • Ligament reconstruction
  • Partial joint replacement
  • Joint realignment procedures
  • Cartilage transplant

Who is the best candidate for joint preservation?

Factors that determine good candidacy for joint preservation include the following: 

  • Age (younger people respond better to the procedure).
  • Type of joint (knee joint treatments work better than hip or shoulder joint treatments).
  • Strength and flexibility (the stronger and more flexible you are, the easier the procedure is). 
  • Body weight (losing weight can significantly take the pressure off your joints).
  • Severity (joint preservation is possible if some cartilage is left in the joint for bone-to-bone contact. If none of it is left, a joint replacement may be your best option). 

Why should one choose joint preservation over joint replacement surgery?

Joint preservation and joint replacement are two different treatments and are required in different scenarios. If you have had an implant surgery or suffered from an infection, joint preservation can reduce the risk of complications and help your joints function the way they are meant to. 

However, it is sometimes not possible to preserve a joint, especially when it has undergone severe damage. This is where joint replacement surgery can help. It is recommended to delay joint replacement as long as possible to avoid another one later in life. 

If you have stage three or stage four arthritis, your doctor may suggest you go for joint replacement surgery.