Joint Replacement

Your Choice for High Quality, High Performance and High Tech

High Quality

Our team is dedicated to evidence-based clinical pathways, pain management, and quality care. East Cooper’s Joint Program has been recognized as a Watson Health Top 100 Hospital, and by US News & World Report as a high performing hospital for Hip & Knee Replacements. Amongst 68 Tenet Healthcare owned hospitals, East Cooper has earned the highest patient satisfaction rating for 14 consecutive years. We offer a personalized touch and care for a lifetime for every patient.

High Tech

Stryker Mako: Robotic-arm Assisted Surgery

When you hear ‘robotic-arm assisted technology,’ it’s important to understand that the Mako Robotic-Arm does not perform the actual surgery. Surgery is performed by an Orthopedic Surgeon, who uses the Mako System software to pre-plan your surgery. Your orthopedic surgeon will guide the roboticarm to remove diseased bone and cartilage. Then the surgeon will insert your joint implant. Mako Technology was designed to help surgeons provide patients with a personalized surgical experience based on their specific diagnosis and anatomy.

Before Surgery: It begins with a CT Scan of your joint that is used to generate a 3D virtual model to create your personalized pre-operative plan.

In the Operating Room: Your surgeon guides the robotic-arm within the plan’s predefined area and the Mako System helps him stay within the planned boundaries. The Mako System allows your surgeon to make adjustments to your plan during surgery as needed.

After Surgery: Your surgeon, nurses, and physical therapists will set goals with you to get you back on the move.

Radlink GPS: Surgical Imaging

Radlink GPS provides real-time feedback on cup position, offset, femoral leg length correction for Posterior and Anterior Approach Hip Arthroplasty. Surgical guidance, planning, imaging evaluation tools for orthopedic surgeons to verify accurate implant placement in joint reconstruction procedures.

High Performance

Our goal is to get you back to you quicker by providing all of the tools that you’ll need for a rapid recovery.

Our approach to rapid recovery:

• Most patients will go home the same day or one day after surgery.
• Most patients walk on the same day of surgery.
• Muscle-sparing knee replacements and direct anterior hip replacements approach to preserve muscles.
• Light sedation under regional anesthesia to minimize any side effects.

We’re Here Every Step Of The Way

We are committed to making sure every patient has an exceptional experience. Your individualized care plan is a collaborative effort amongst your expert surgeon, hospitalist, anesthesiologist, and your primary care provider. This team will help you optimize your overall health in preparation for surgery so you reach the maximum benefits of your surgery. Joint Class is offered to all joint replacement patients prior to surgery. During this class you will learn how to prepare for surgery including how to manage pain, prep your living space for your return home, and the resources that will be provided during your stay. You will have the chance to designate a “Coach.” This person will help navigate you through the process before and after surgery. A coach will join the patient during preoperative appointments, be present during hospitalization, and assist the patient upon returning home. Post-surgical education will be led by the therapy and nursing team. This education will encompass incision care, rehabilitation exercises, dietary recommendations, and how to adjust your everyday activities all in an effort to restore your range of motion.

Joint Preservation

Upon your initial consultation, we will evaluate your overall health, pain and functioning level, and X-rays. We will discuss treatment options that can relieve your symptoms and determine the best plan for you to meet your goals.

Orthopedic Rehab Services: A physical therapist will work with your orthopedic specialist to recommend exercises such as, “pushing” exercises to help build muscle strength without subjecting inflamed joints to excessive wear; “pulling” exercises to further increase muscle strength and preserve function, and daily walking.

Cortisone Injections: Offers quick, effective relief for some patients but they can only be used a few times a year.

Gel Injections: Offers quick, effective relief for some patients. They are administered in single doses or in a series of 3 injections. They can only be used every six months or twice per year.

Arthroscopy: Hip and knee scopes are minimally invasive, outpatient procedures that treat torn ligaments and cartilage, fractures and cysts that can develop from wear and tear.

Stem Cell Injections: Can be used to regenerate and repair diseased or damaged tissues.

Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) Injections: Potential to speed up the healing process of an injury site.

Medications: Many different medications are used to treat the pain and stiffness of arthritis. Some of the most commonly prescribed are oral steroids, or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents.

Joint Replacement

Osteoarthritis

The hip and knee joint can develop arthritis over time, leading to a complete wear of the articular cartilage. Osteoarthritis is sometimes called degenerative arthritis because it is a “wearing out” condition involving the breakdown of cartilage in the joints. When cartilage wears away, the bones rub against each other, causing pain and stiffness.

Total Knee Replacement

Total Knee Replacement employs specially designed components, or prostheses, made of metals and/ or plastics, to replace the cartilage in your knee. The metal that is most commonly used is an alloy of cobalt, chromium, and molybdenum. The plastic is ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene. These materials have been used in joint replacement for about 30 years and their behavior in the body is well-known. In modern total knee replacement surgery, only the worn-out cartilage surfaces of the joint are replaced. The entire knee is not actually replaced. The operation is basically a “re-surfacing” (or “re-tread”) procedure. Only a small amount of bone is removed, the collateral ligaments are left intact, and the muscles and tendons are left intact.

Total Hip Replacement

Total Hip Replacement has been one of the most successful surgical procedures from the last century and remains the gold standard for the treatment of hips with arthritis. It starts with the insertion of a stem into the femoral medullary canal. A femoral head is mated with the neck of the stem and articulates with the acetabular component fixed to the pelvic bone. Several bearing materials are suitable for total hip replacements and all combinations of a metal or ceramic head articulating with polyethylene or ceramic liners are possible. Your surgeon will determine which bearing couple is preferable based on multiple pre-and post-operative factors. Your orthopedic surgeon may recommend a direct anterior approach, which is performed on the front side of your hip, for a minimally-invasive or muscle-sparing procedure.

Partial versus Total Knee Replacement

Partial Knee replacement is a surgical procedure that helps relieve arthritis in one or two of the three compartments of the knee. Only the damaged area of the knee joint is replaced, which may help to minimize trauma to healthy bone and tissue. With a Total Knee Replacement, the entire knee joint is diseased or injured and is replaced.

Knee & Hip Pain Virtual Seminars

Don’t let pain and discomfort hold you back – let East Cooper’s team of Board Certified Orthopedic Surgeons get you back to you quicker. In this short educational seminar, we will take an in-depth look at common causes of joint pain and treatment options including joint preservation and joint replacement surgery. Learn more about the benefits of knee replacements performed with the MAKO Robotic Arm-Assisted Surgery, including during surgery and as you recover. Want to know next steps on how to make an epic comeback from your minor setback? Watch to find out!