Revision Joint Replacement Specialist

What is revision joint replacement?

Revision joint replacement is a surgical procedure you might need to undergo if something goes wrong with your original joint replacement.

Joint replacement surgery is typically very successful, relieving discomfort from severe arthritis and other conditions that cause long-term pain or can not be treated any other way. Knee and hip replacements are the most common forms of joint replacement surgery.

In most cases, replacement joints wear well. If you’re younger when you have your surgery, you might need a replacement after around 10-15 years; if you’re older, your replacement joint could well last you the rest of your life.

Sometimes, replacement joints develop issues that require another surgery before you reach the end of your implant’s lifespan. If that is the case, knowing the implants you have from the original surgery can be helpful. Please try to find a surgical (operative) report from that surgery.

Why would I need revision joint replacement?

Reasons you might need revision joint replacement include:

Implant loosening

To work properly, your replacement joint needs to sit securely in place, connected to the bone. There are several reasons why the implant might loosen.

If you had a press-fit implant, your bone might not have grown onto it sufficiently to fix it in place. If you had the implant cemented, the cement might have come loose from the implant or bone.

Other factors that could increase the chances of implant loosening include being overweight or obese and regularly engaging in high-impact activities.

Infection

Infection is always a risk when undergoing surgery. In the case of joint replacement surgery, you could pick up an infection during the procedure, after you get home, or, in some cases, many years after the operation.

Joint replacement infections can be very painful. Your implant can also loosen, or you might suffer instability. It’s difficult to destroy all the bacteria from an artificial joint using antibiotics, so revision joint replacement might be the only solution.

Instability

It’s also possible for replacement joints to dislocate or fracture, just like real bones. Falls and other forms of trauma could cause this kind of damage and require revision joint replacement.

What happens during revision joint replacement surgery?

Revision joint replacement surgery is a more complicated procedure than the original surgery, requiring a higher degree of expertise and experience in using specialized implants and instruments. The New Braunfels Orthopaedic Surgery & Sports Medicine team has exceptional skills in performing revision joint replacement.

The nature of your revision joint replacement depends on the cause of your problem. You might need to replace the entire joint, or some parts may be working well, meaning you only need replacement of part of the original implant.

If there’s damage to the bones in the joint, your surgeon might need to rebuild the affected bone using metal augments (bone substitutes) or bone grafts.

It’s vital that revision joint replacement is done by orthopaedic surgeons who have the right skills and experience, like the team at New Braunfels Orthopaedic Surgery & Sports Medicine. Call them today or book an appointment online.