Barry Waldman MD on Hip Replacement Surgery

Barry Waldman MD is a renowned orthopedic surgeon with over 17 years of extensive experience specializing in knee, shoulder, and hip care.

From joint replacement to reconstruction, Barry Waldman MD has helped numerous clients regain mobility and strength in their bones.

Hip replacement is a common surgery undertaken by women and men between the ages of 60 and 80, however there are many cases of people a lot younger if they have been born with a defect, health issues or were involved in an accident.

Barry Waldman MD strives to help his patients understand the ins and outs of the hip replacement process so that they can feel happy and confident going into their procedure.

How long does a hip replacement last?

The latest in hip replacement technology lasts for a minimum of 15 years and during this time the range of movement in patients can improve considerably as well as reduced pain in the area.

Do I need a hip replacement?

The reasons for undertaking a hip replacement are through wear and tear of the joint that causes pain and reduced mobility. The pain has to be present even when you are at rest for the doctor to consider that the operation is necessary. Osteoporosis is the most common reason for people needing a hip replacement. Barry Waldman MD has seen patients for other reasons including fracture to the hip, spondylitis and other disorders that cause unusual bone growth.

Being a major surgical procedure, Barry Waldman MD ensures that patients have tried other treatments prior to undergoing hip replacement. These treatments include physiotherapy and injections of steroids to bring the swelling down. If they have not worked to improve your symptoms your specialist will consider a hip replacement if your health is good enough to undergo surgery.

How is a hip replacement achieved?

Hip replacements can be carried out in two ways. The first is under general anesthetic which means you will be asleep throughout the process. The second is under an epidural which is where a needle is inserted into your spine and fluid is put into it to numb the lower half of your body. An incision is then made so that the portion of hip that is affected is removed and replaced instead with an artificial hip. They can be made from different materials whether metal or ceramic. The whole process can take anything from an hour to an hour and a half.

As an alternative to having a full hip replacement, there is also the option of resurfacing. This will take away the damaged surface rather than replacing the whole hip.

Recovery process

When you have had the operation you will need to go a period of rehabilitation this involves not putting weight on the hip for around 6 weeks and getting around instead using crutches or a wheel chair. Barry Waldman MD recommends physiotherapy to ensure the patient has regained a full range of movement. It can take up to 3 months to make a full recovery, however rehabilitation should be taken seriously for best results.

Hip replacement complications

The chance of complications after undergoing a hip replacement operation are rare and occur in less than 1% of people. Those risks include a hip replacement wearing out before the 15 years or that the operation hasn’t gone as expected. If this occurs surgery revision is usually required to correct the problem.

Check out Barry Waldman MD at his current practice, OrthoMaryland to learn more about his specialties and procedures: https://www.orthomaryland.net/physician/barry-j-waldman-md/.

Barry Waldman MD on Knee Replacement Surgery

Barry Waldman MD has over 17 years of experience in orthopedics. 

As an orthopedic surgeon with OrthoMaryland, Waldman specializes largely in joint replacement and reconstruction of the hip, shoulder, and knee. 

Knee replacement surgery has become quite common these days, given that arthritis is a major ailment among aged people. Below, Barry Waldman MD provides details of his experiences with knee replacement surgery. 

What is knee replacement surgery?

As the name suggests, knee replacement surgery involves removing whole or part of the knee joint and putting artificial joints in place of the worn out parts. The artificial joints are made up of plastics and metals. The recovery time of this surgery lasts a few months but its benefits last for many years, to a lifetime. 

So how would you know when to get a knee replacement surgery done? There are certain symptoms listed below.

• If you start getting severe pain in the knees that hampers your routine activities.
• If you get severe or moderate knee pain while taking rest, either during the day or at night.
• If you suffer from inflammation and swelling of the knee for a long time that does not heal with medications or rest.
• If you are suffering from bowing of leg
• If you are suffering from knee stiffness
• If you do not get relief from using Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory Drugs (or NSAIDs) or you cannot tolerate the pain.

Let us now look at the procedure of the knee replacement surgery. The surgical procedure may differ depending on the surgeon’s approach and the needs of the patient. Generally, orthopedic surgeon Barry Waldman MD follows these steps:

• Certain mandatory checks before proceeding for a surgery are done. Body temperature, blood pressure, heart rate and oxygenation level are checked to see whether they are normal and surgery can proceed. A mark is made on the knee which is to be operated.
• The patient is given anesthesia. It can either be general (which puts the patient to sleep) or regional (whereby the sensation of a part to be operated is blocked).
• An incision is made at the center of the knee, deeper into the tissues including quadriceps tendons.
• The surgeon bends the knee to ninety degrees to have better access to the joint.
• A bone saw is used to remove the damaged part/s of the knee and all the bones are reshaped to fit the new prosthesis. To make the cuts precise, a surgeon uses some metal jigs or take computer’s assistance.
• An implant might be attached to the patella (backside of the kneecap) and then it is glided against the artificial joint. At times a polyethylene substance is attached to the patella to facilitate the process.
• Sometimes femur, tibia and patella are attached with some components. The type of the components will decide how they are going to be attached. Both cement less and cemented components can be used and both of them have their own set of advantages.
• A polyethylene cushion is placed over the top of the new surface of the tibia. It is put between the prosthetic surfaces to absorb any shock.
• The knee is straightened to bind the components, bone and cement together.
• If deep tissues were cut during the surgery, then they are repaired.
• In the end, the skin is stitched at the surgical incision.

For more information about knee replacement surgery, connect with Barry Waldman MD on Expertfile: http://expertfile.com/experts/drbarryj.waldman.

Check out the video of Barry Waldman MD below for further information about custom knee replacement techniques.