Joint Replacement | Blessing Health System

Experience the Blessing Difference: Joint Replacement Surgery

When you come to Blessing for joint replacement surgery, you benefit from:

Experienced specialists: Our Orthopedic Team extensive experience working with athletes and active individuals of all ages.
Complete range of services: We offer all types of major joint replacement procedures and use minimally invasive blood-sparing techniques when possible. Because these advanced methods require smaller incisions and less blood loss, you have a lower risk of infection and recover faster.
Advanced pain management: Our doctors use the latest pain control methods. These treatments help reduce pain and medication side effects, which promotes a faster recovery and return to normal life.
Convenience: All of the orthopedic care you need for joint replacement – from treatment to orthopedic rehabilitation – is available right here in Quincy.
Caregiver support: Our team works with your designated caregiver or coach to ensure he or she has the tools and resources needed to help you get the results you seek after surgery.
Care that focuses on you: At Blessing, we treat our patients like family. You see the same familiar, helpful faces at your appointments and throughout your course of treatment.

Types of Joint Replacement Surgeries

The orthopedic care teams at Blessing perform a range of joint replacement surgeries, including:

Do You Need Joint Replacement Surgery?

You may benefit from joint replacement surgery if joint problems:

Interfere with basic tasks like walking, climbing stairs, getting dressed or taking care of personal hygiene activities like showering
Keep you from doing activities you love, such as walking or gardening
Affect your ability to sleep
Cause a limp
Do not improve with over-the-counter pain medications
Persist despite the use of nonsurgical treatments, such as injections of steroids and joint lubricants

Arthritis and Your Joints

Arthritis occurs when cartilage, a protective tissue on the ends of your bones, wears down. Cartilage reduces joint friction when you walk, sit, stand, reach and move. When cartilage breaks down due to severe arthritis, bone starts to rub against bone. As a result, you may experience chronic joint pain and stiffness, which makes it difficult to get around.

You may benefit from joint replacement surgery if you have one of these types of arthritis:

Osteoarthritis: This degenerative joint disease breaks down cartilage and can cause bony growths called bone spurs to form on joints. Lack of cartilage can make it painful to bend a joint. Over time, bits of bone or cartilage can break off into the joint space, causing more pain and damage. Osteoarthritis is common in people aged 65 and older.
Post-traumatic arthritis: You are more likely to develop osteoarthritis at a young age if you had an earlier joint trauma, such as a broken bone or torn ligaments. These types of injuries may affect bone alignment and inflame joints.
Rheumatoid arthritis: This autoimmune disease inflames tissue that lines the inside of joints, causing swelling and pain. Untreated rheumatoid arthritis can damage cartilage and bone. This condition is most common in women between the ages of 30 and 60.

Diagnosing Joint Damage

If a physical exam and evaluation of symptoms indicate that you might have joint damage, your doctor may ask you to undergo one or more of the following diagnostic tests:

X-rays: These images reveal bone fractures as well as degenerative joint disease. X-rays are the most common method for diagnosing arthritis. Higher-level imaging is rarely needed.
Computerized tomography (CT) scans: CT scans take X-rays from several different angles to reveal bone and soft tissue damage.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): This noninvasive imaging test creates 3-D images of the inside of your joints. These images can show injuries to soft tissues such as cartilage, ligaments, tendons and muscles.
Ultrasound: This test uses sound waves to produce images of soft tissue structures and bone loss.
Arthroscopy: During this outpatient surgical procedure, your doctor inserts an arthroscope, a tube-like instrument with a camera on the end, into the joint to look for damage.

What to Expect from Joint Replacement Surgery

You can expect the following steps when you undergo joint replacement surgery at Blessing:

Before your surgery, you will work with a nurse we call our “total joint care navigator” to learn more about your surgery, what will be involved in your recovery and to help you determine your personal plan of care through surgery and recovery.
Some total joint replacement patients at Blessing Hospital go home the same day as they have surgery, allowing recovery to begin in the comfort of home. For other patients, their plan of care calls for an overnight hospital stay to help a strong recovery begin. If you are unable to go home the same day, Blessing has an experienced inpatient team to help you.
Even after you’re home, you will continue to work with the care navigator to keep your recovery going smoothly. You will never be alone during this process.