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3787 Shipyard Boulevard
Wilmington, NC 28403 910-763-2361 • AtlanticOrthopedics.com |
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Atlantic Orthopedics Joint Replacement Center In the News Walter W. Frueh, MD
Dr. Frueh discusses a new approach to hip replacement called the Direct Anterior Approach to Hip Replacement or the DAA Hip. Below are medical animations provided by the fellowship-trained orthopedic specialists at Atlantic Orthopedics in Wilmington, North Carolina for patient education.©ViewMedica
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[Top] The knee and hip joints on the human body take a tremendous toll. They receive the most abuse from enabling the human body to propel itself down the road. Impact from concrete into the knee joints and hip joints can over time damage the joint, causing excruciating pain. The fact that half of Americans are classified as “overweight” and 25% are technically “obese” merely adds to the prevalence of joint agony. For example, if you have knee pain, rest assured you are far from alone. Each year 6 million Americans seek medical help for painful knees. This translates into 2.5 percent of the U.S. population sitting in doctors’ offices for relief of knee pain. Even more self-diagnose and treat themselves with pills and home remedies. Aside from self destructive damage to knees and hips for weight and impact trauma, Mother Nature also deals out some bad cards in the form of the disease call arthritis. This joint disease pits out the surfaces of the joints, preventing pain-free movement. It’s estimated that about 32 million Americans visit their physician for having some form of arthritis. That’s about one in 10 Americans suffering from some form of arthritis pain. While knee problems can relate to abuse from trauma and weight, hip pain sadly is often just a common problem as a person age Thankfully, over the past 30 years, knee replacement and hip replacement have become a very reliable procedure, as orthopedic surgeons have continually revised and improved on the procedure. But while the procedure has become commonplace, Americans are misguided in thinking that joint replacement is quick fix for joint pain, because it’s more complicated than that. For example, the joint replacement surgeons at Atlantic Orthopedics (locations in Wilmington, Porters Neck, Brunswick Forest and Jacksonville) will typically try to exhaust all non-surgical treatment options to see if your symptoms can disappear. This is an important step — FOR YOUR BENEFIT. The surgeon who jumps to quickly to proposing joint replacement for you could be sentencing you to a wheelchair in 15 to 20 years.
Most surgeons are reluctant to implant an artificial knee much before sixty years of age. The longer the initial surgery may be delayed, the better. However, there are some with rheumatoid arthritis or joints damaged badly from trauma who may need joint replacement surgery so they can continue with their lives. There are some preparations a patient can and should do BEFORE joint replacement surgery is performed. Patients who are extremely overweight, for example, place undue demands upon a knee — especially a new artificial joint. A person with this condition will more quickly destroy the implanted knee than someone of appropriate weight for their height. Consequently, a physician might recommend a weight loss program beforehand so the articificial joint isn’t damaged after surgery.
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Atlantic Orthopedics includes eleven fellowship-trained orthopedic specialists. Fellowship-training represents the highest level of orthopedic medical training in the United States. Click here to learn more.
Not find what you were searching for? Quick navigation links: About Atlantic Orthopedics | Meet the Orthopedic and Spine Specialists | Spine Center | Sports Medicine Center | Joint Replacement Center | Extremity Center | Foot and Ankle Pain | Shoulder Pain | Knee Pain | Arm and Hand Pain | Hip Pain | Back and Neck Pain | Treatment for Orthopedic and Spine Conditions | Injection therapy | Physical Therapy | Spine Surgery | Knee Replacement Surgery | Hip Replacement Surgery | Educational Resources | About Fellowship-Training | Contact Us | North Carolina locations: Wilmington | Porters Neck | Brunswick Forest | Jacksonville Disclaimer: The pictures displayed are images of actual patients and employees who have consented to have their picture in this website.
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s, as the hip joint becoming arthritic. The hip, essentially a ball and socket joint, can work very efficiently for a lifetime, provide the ball and socket don’t degrade or the surfaces become pitted. When that happens, the sensation is much like metal on metal friction, where the notion of walking is excruciating painful.
