Geoffrey Westrich, MD

Increasing numbers of younger people are opting for knee replacement, unwilling to take arthritis pain sitting down. S urgical advances such as computer-assisted surgery have made it a viable option for people in their 40s and 50s.   The main concern in younger individuals is that the implant will wear out. Although a knee replacement can last 20 years or even longer, it doesn't last forever. However, computer-assisted knee replacement, which makes the surgery ultra-precise, may prolong the life of the artificial joint. The highly advanced, surgeon-controlled MAKO robotic system enables an extremely precise alignment and placement of the implant in patients who are candidates for a partial knee replacement, a less invasive surgery that is possible if the arthritis is limited to just one arthritic area of the knee.   Before surgery, CT scans are taken of each patient's knee to assist surgeons in pre-planning the procedure.   During su...

Hundreds of thousands of hip and knee replacement surgeries are performed in the United States each year, and they are highly successful in eliminating pain, restoring mobility and improving quality of life. Joint replacement, in which an orthopedic surgeon replaces the arthritic areas of a joint with a metal, plastic or ceramic implant, has changed many lives for the better.   The implants used in joint replacement may last up to 15 or 20 years, but they generally don’t last forever. When the implant wears out, people often need a second surgery in which the existing implant or components are taken out and replaced. This is called a revision surgery.     Sometimes, a revision surgery is needed sooner, and the main reasons include: Loosening of the implant. The hip or knee replacement may become painful after many years because the components have begun to wear and loosen. A fracture. A fall or severe blow can cause a fractu...

Extremely weak and in terrible pain, a 56 year-old patient traveled from her home in the Philadelphia area to New York City to see me at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS). Diane came in for a consultation  after a nine-month ordeal that started after a double knee replacement at another hospital. Suffering from severe arthritis, she opted for the surgery after learning from her research that the procedure has a very high success rate in eliminating pain and restoring mobility. Diane chose to have the operation on both knees at the same time.   But months later, instead of getting better, her knees still ached. And now the pain was spreading throughout her body to her shoulders, arms and legs.   She got weaker and weaker. Four months after knee replacement, she could no longer get dressed without assistance, pick up a half-gallon of milk or turn over in bed. She says she became a different person -- terribly weak, in constant pain and very unhappy. It turned out ...