I. Basic concepts.
1. What is an artificial joint?
Artificial joint is an artificial organ designed to save the lost function of the joint, artificial joints in artificial organs in the best efficacy. Generally speaking, the service life of artificial joints can be more than 20 years.
2, which patients are suitable for artificial joint replacement surgery?
At present, except for acute infectious diseases, active tuberculosis and hematological diseases, many diseases caused by joint pain and serious dysfunction, can be used artificial joint replacement surgery (the patient’s age is still an important reference factor), mainly including.
(1) Joint deformity or joint destruction due to osteoarthritis;
(2) Loss of joint function due to ankylosing spondylitis; rheumatoid arthritis;
(3) Severe localized comminuted fractures or traumatic osteoarthritis of the joint;
(4) Loss of function of the joint due to infection, including specific infections;
(5) Advanced aseptic necrosis of the femoral head;
(6) Non-healing femoral neck fractures or delayed healing of femoral neck fractures in the elderly;
(7) Congenital dislocation of the hip joint resulting in joint pain;
(8) Bone tumors in and around the joint site.
Why do we need artificial joint replacement?
When there are structural changes in the joint due to various reasons, it is not advisable to use medication alone, because medication can only partially relieve the pain. Artificial joint replacement can achieve the following purposes.
(1) Pain relief: It can relieve pain caused by various reasons; for example, pain caused by rheumatoid arthritis, joint destruction, etc.;
(2) Stabilize the joint: stabilize joint instability caused by various reasons; for example, old joint dislocation, severe knee instability combined with osteoarthritis;
(3) Correction of deformity: to correct the deformity of the joint at the same time as the artificial joint surgery, so that the original deformity can be corrected and improved;
(4) Improvement of joint function: to restore the normal function of the joints that were stiff and limited in activity.
Third, how to choose a good artificial joint?
When a patient decides to use artificial joint replacement treatment, a question often comes up: what kind of artificial joint is the best artificial joint? It should be said that different patients should choose different artificial joints. Artificial joint prosthesis has very strict requirements on its design, surface treatment, material selection, manufacturing process and packaging; it also needs sufficient clinical practice to confirm the effect of a certain artificial joint. In terms of the current situation, artificial hip and artificial knee joints, whether from the prosthesis itself or from the surgical technique has become very mature artificial joints; at the same time, the artificial elbow joint, artificial ankle joint, artificial interphalangeal joint and lumbar intervertebral joint (or artificial disc prosthesis) of basic theoretical research and clinical application has also been greatly developed. At present, in developed countries, all of the above artificial joints have been widely used in the clinical and achieved good clinical results.
Choosing an artificial joint prosthesis is very different from choosing other commodities, because once the artificial joint prosthesis is placed in the human body is not easy to “replace”, even if the “replacement” its cost is also quite large, it can be said that can not only be measured in money. So how to choose a good artificial joint should be under the guidance of experts to make a careful choice.
Fourth, the duration of use of artificial joints and the effectiveness of treatment
The human hip joint is an important joint, it has various functions such as walking, running, jumping and squatting, and it also bears the weight of your body. Once the right hip joint is diseased, the cartilage of the joint will be destroyed, from the original smooth surface like a mirror to a rough or even defective surface, and furthermore, the femoral head will be deformed. As a result, you will feel pain, have difficulty walking, limited mobility, limp, and sometimes have difficulty performing even easy movements. When the above disease has progressed to a certain point and the joint has been destroyed, surgery is required. An artificial hip joint is used to replace the damaged joint (the doctor should decide when to operate) to restore functions such as walking. The greatest benefit of artificial joint surgery is that it eliminates post-operative joint pain, greatly improves the function of the joint, and increases the patient’s quality of life so that he or she can work and live well during their lifetime. Nowadays, more and more patients are happy to accept the suggestion of artificial joint surgery. The longevity of the artificial joint is determined by two main issues: the wear and tear of the joint, and the loosening of the prosthesis caused by wear particles. The strength and wear resistance of the artificial knee joint material is after hundreds of wear experiments, high-quality imported artificial joints, generally can meet the patient more than 20 years. The artificial joints currently used in clinical practice are much better than those used twenty years ago, and it is believed that more than 95% of the artificial joints placed now will continue to work for twenty years. A successful artificial joint replacement will allow you to live a pain-free life and meet your daily activities, and for a damaged knee, no other treatment can achieve the same results. Of course, the longevity of the artificial joint is also dependent on many factors, such as the patient’s exercise level, the choice of artificial prosthesis, the surgeon’s surgical technique and his or her condition. The orthopaedic community is currently working with engineers and material scientists, among others, to improve artificial joint materials, processes and surgical techniques. The future is bright for patients who choose joint replacement to improve their quality of life and want to be healthy and pain-free in their activities.