Joint Preservation Q & A

What is joint preservation?

Thankfully, new surgical techniques allow Dr. Parsa to make repairs, put in replacements, and restabilize your major joints without running the risk of collateral muscle and tissue damage.

How does joint preservation work for hips and knees?

Each year in the United States, orthopaedic surgeons perform more than 1 million knee and hip replacement surgeries, making them two of the most commonly performed surgeries in America. Dr. Parsa uses the latest laparoscopic techniques and cutting-edge approaches to restore functionality in your knees and hips.

Knees
When it comes to your knees, Dr. Parsa performs both total and partial repairs. After a thorough examination, including advanced diagnostic imaging, Dr. Parsa sits down with you to discuss which option is best for your unique situation and goals.

For a total repair, Dr. Parsa uses the latest arthroscopic techniques to go in and remove damaged cartilage from the ends of your femur and tibia, as well as a small amount of bone. Then she places metal implants into the areas and secures them.

After resurfacing the inside of your kneecap, Dr. Parsa places a spacer between the new metal components to help these resurfaced areas glide together easily.

If some of your joint still functions well, Dr. Parsa may recommend a partial knee repair, only resurfacing the areas that need it.

Hips
If you need to join the 2.5 million Americans who’ve undergone hip replacement, Dr. Parsa opts for an anterior hip replacement to minimize damage to your muscles and speed up your recovery.

During a hip replacement, Dr. Parsa removes the head of your femur and replaces it with a metal stem and ball. After clearing out the damaged cartilage in your socket, she anchors a new metal socket into your bone. Lastly, Dr. Parsa places a spacer between the metal parts to allow for easy motion.

How can my shoulder joint be preserved?

Using this advanced technique, Dr. Parsa is able to get inside your knee to take a closer look at what’s causing your problem. When it comes to soft tissue damage, diagnostic imaging can only reveal so much. Thanks to arthroscopic techniques, Dr. Parsa can see for herself what the problem is and decide whether she can treat it during the same procedure.

When in treatment mode, Dr. Parsa can use knee arthroscopy to:

• Repair a meniscus tear
• Correct a cartilage defect
• Repair your anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), medial collateral ligament (MCL), or lateral collateral ligament (LCL)
• Remove or trim your cartilage
• Remove loose pieces of bone or soft tissue

What is recovery from knee arthroscopy like?

If your shoulder needs repair, there are several ways Dr. Parsa can approach your problem:

Hemiarthroplasty
Your shoulder is a classic ball-and-socket joint, and depending on your condition Dr. Parsa may only need to replace some of the components rather than the entire joint. With hemiarthroplasty, Dr. Parsa replaces only what’s necessary, usually just the ball, while keeping your socket intact.

Total shoulder replacement
If the damage in your shoulder warrants a complete makeover, Dr. Parsa turns to a total shoulder replacement procedure to help you regain full use of your arm. During this procedure, Dr. Parsa replaces both the ball and the socket of your shoulder.

Reverse total shoulder replacement
If your shoulder joint is severely damaged, a reverse shoulder replacement may give you the best chance of regaining full use of the joint. In this procedure, Dr. Parsa switches the locations of the ball and socket, attaching the ball to your shoulder and the socket to your upper arm.

If you’re limited by aging or damaged joints, call Parsa Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine Institute to learn about the latest joint preservation techniques or use the online booking to schedule an appointment.