When It's Time for Surgery in Sonora

How to determine if joint replacement surgery is right for you

When joint paint is inhibiting you from enjoying life to the fullest and other treatment methods just won’t cut it, joint replacement surgery can be an effective solution. Reasons for considering joint replacement surgery vary greatly from person to person.

The following reasons are often present:

• Pain levels frequently reach levels of between six and 10 on a "10-point scale"
• Pain levels markedly restrict your desired levels of standing or walking activities, often to less than 30 minutes
• You have difficulty with common activities such as getting in/out of a car, up from a chair or commode, up/down stairs, or applying/removing shoes and socks
• Your arthritis pain restricts enjoyable activities such as visiting friends, shopping, walking for exercise or going on vacations
• You have difficulties sleeping due to the pain
• You have tried a series of medications to control the pain without success
• You do not want to take pain medications on a regular basis
• Significant weight gain is occurring due to lack of exercise and activity
• You have failed to improve with other treatments such as injections, physical therapy or other surgical procedures

A visit to your orthopedic surgeon involving a physical examination and X-rays will show the extent of damage to the joint. You will be counseled regarding your treatment options and assisted in the decision to continue with home treatment measures or to proceed with surgery.