Feature #2-  Dr. Todd V. Swanson, MD, Board Certified Orthopedic Surgeon: “Fewer Complications”

Dr. Swanson mentioned another benefit of the minimally invasive hip replacement technique, “There are so many types of minimally invasive hip surgery, at least four- to-five different techniques since we developed our technique 11 years ago;

Many surgeons are not adequately trained or do not get adequate visualization.

I use this procedure, teach it all over the world, and have developed it very well;  We teach surgeons exactly how to do the procedure;  Our complication rate is actually lower when I study my traditional incision patients with my minimally invasive patients.”

“What Are the Symptoms of Arthritis and Joint Problems?”

“The most common symptom is pain.  It is normal for people to suffer from a little bit of pain, which comes with activities and aging.  If you are developing pain that is limiting your activities or altering your lifestyle of daily living this is the time to seek attention either with your primary care doctor or an Orthopedic surgeon.

If the problem is not too serious like Tendonitis, Bursitis, or muscle pain, your primary care doctor can treat them.  If the problem is serious, you may need more aggressive treatment, not always surgery, sometimes injections or other treatments.”

Can Arthritis be Prevented?

“There is no absolute way to prevent arthritis; We all develop arthritis as we age but our lifestyle can lessen the chance of having arthritis.  Exercise is good but some types are harder on the joints like impact loading exercises when you are putting a pounding stress on hips as in running and jumping.  Always run on a soft surface.  People who run on a hard cement surface are more likely to damage their hip or knee joints.  A healthy diet is also important.

What Is a Hip Replacement?

“When a person develops arthritis, as most of us do when we get older, it can become so severe they have significant pain.  Arthritis is basically the loss of the cartridge cushion in the joint.  A total hip replacement removes worn or roughened areas of the bone and the damaged parts must be replaced with new artificial parts in order to take away the patient’s pain.”

Problems when Using Cement in Hip Replacement

“Cement was common in hip replacement surgery.  The original total hip surgery developed in the 70’s and 80’s, all used cement to hold the implant to the bone.  Eventually the cement cracked and loosened causing the patient to undergo a second operation.  Sometimes the cement is pressurized inside the bone which pushes the bone marrow contents into the blood stream flowing into the heart and lungs.  We did studies using ultra-sound pressurizing cement and looking at the heart.  It looked like a snow storm with debris going into the heart and lungs.  We have stopped using cement because of the successful technologies today.  A hip prosthesis can be placed inside the patient potentially to last the rest of their life.   (Continued)