Arthrosis Living pain free with an artificial joint

Replacement joint can give osteoarthritis patients more quality of life

05/29/2014

People with osteoarthritis are often severely restricted in their mobility. An artificial joint can give them back mobility and thus more quality of life. Those affected should, however, weigh the pros and cons in advance, since the intervention is not always useful.

Especially older people affected by osteoarthritis

The knee hurts. Or the hip. Most are older people who are affected by osteoarthritis, as it is a sign of wear in the joint. For many patients, the question arises as to whether an artificial joint can help when pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory drugs and other treatments such as physiotherapy no longer work. Thomas Pauly, board member of the German Orthopedic Association in Saarbrücken says according to a dpa report to the fact that the decision depends on how much the patient feels restricted and how mobile he still needs to be or would like. The suffering of those affected is often very different even with comparable findings.

Various reasons speak for a joint replacement

The director of the Orthopedic Clinic of the University Hospital Aachen, Markus Tingart, also emphasized: „The X-ray is not operated.“ The complaints of the patients are crucial. There could be striking differences depending on personal sensitivity to pain. The expert listed several reasons that speak in favor of joint replacement: for example, if the quality of life is very limited, the pain also occurs at night and in rest periods, the person concerned has been taking painkillers for a long time, the patient only has short journeys because of knee pain or because of hip pain can not put on the socks anymore.

Success chances are very good

According to Tingart, the chances of success are very good. Those affected are usually pain free after the procedure. However, the healing process takes time. Patients will need to use crutches for about six weeks after the operation and a seven- to eight-day hospital stay. In addition, it comes to ten to twelve weeks of intensive muscle training. Especially for older patients, the hospital stay is followed by a hospital rehabilitation. For younger people, an outpatient rehab could be enough. Most seniors, according to Pauly, have no more pain after the procedure. However, this sometimes takes up to a year or more. Therefore, he advises his patients to wait at least a year before evaluating the operation.

Assess benefits and risks individually

But even with a great amount of suffering, surgery is not an option for everyone. Pauly explained that overweight, wound healing disorders or cardiovascular problems speak against it. Benefits and risks must be weighed individually. Those who decide against surgery or want to postpone it should still be on the move. It is important to maintain flexibility and power as long as possible, so Pauly. If you have too much knee pain when walking, you may still be able to bicycling, and in the case of hip problems gymnastic exercises in the water are often possible. In addition, weight loss can help, as according to Tingart a reduction in body weight by five to ten percent, a relief in the complaints brings.

Help for those affected

In Germany, 350,000 to 400,000 knee and hip joint prostheses are used annually - and the trend is rising. In addition to the family doctor or orthopedic surgeon, Independent Patient Counseling Germany can help with all questions relating to the diagnosis, treatment or choice of the right clinic. Stefan Palmowski, graduate nursing scientist and patient adviser in Dortmund, pointed out that patients could call one of the 21 counseling centers in Germany by phone or on site for free. In addition, those affected will find support in the decision in the so-called second opinion centers of large pawls. For example, in the Orthopedic Clinic Aachen, where a European Endoprosthetics Center is located, where alternatives as well as the pros and cons of the intervention are examined. Such certified endoprosthetics centers must meet certain quality criteria and work according to uniform standards. Operations are carried out there using modern methods and only by experienced specialists. In Aachen, for example, computer-assisted navigation systems are used, which use the replacement joint particularly precisely.

Five million Germans suffer from the common disease osteoarthritis

In Germany, around five million people are said to be suffering from the common disease osteoarthritis. It is the most common joint disease worldwide. The symptoms of the disease are treated with analgesics (analgesics), such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, but they do not fight the causes. Physiotherapy, special shoe treatments such as cushioning insoles or cooling measures can also provide affected persons with relief from the symptoms. In addition, studies indicate the effectiveness of acupuncture in osteoarthritis-related chronic knee joint pain. (Sb)