Midlands Orthopaedics’ patients Evelyn Bonnett, Joseph Teague and Mariano Hernandez recently returned to Midlands Orthopaedics Surgery Center to reflect on their experiences after undergoing one of the most progressive orthopaedic procedures available anywhere in the nation: outpatient total knee replacement.
Mr. Teague wholeheartedly endorsed his experience: “I was here at 6 a.m. when the doors opened … and by 2:30 in the afternoon, I was sitting at my house, in my chair, watching my TV, and I had no pain.”
Enabling total knee replacement patients to return to the comfort of their own homes the same day as surgery marks a revolutionary transition in orthopaedic care delivery.
Traditionally, inpatient hospital-ization for knee replacement surgery was necessary to manage pain, facilitate physical therapy and provide blood transfusions. Advances in surgical technique, implants, comprehensive blood management, and multimodal pain management have minimized the hospital stay required.
Managing the pain associated with joint replacement is a primary concern for most patients. Patients experience pain because tissue injury during surgery leads to inflammation that triggers nerve stimulation. Physicians have historically relied on narcotics alone to manage pain. Today, more progressive techniques reduce the tissue injury at the outset thereby decreasing inflammation, which reduces nerve stimulation. Reducing tissue injury also reduces physical limitations, making rehabilitation easier and immediately possible. Additionally, adjustments to anesthesia and other medications reduce pain more effectively while also minimizing side effects, like nausea, that delay recovery.
All three patients described only minimal pain after their surgeries. Miss Bonnett explained that she is “walking better and not in the pain [she] was in months ago.” As the recipient of two outpatient total knee replacements, Mr. Hernandez’s enthusiasm is hard to contain: “I feel like I have a brand new pair of legs!”
The comprehensive and innovative approach used by Midlands Orthopaedics’ joint replacement surgeons enables patients to experience only mild discomfort as they return home with a new joint — the same day as surgery — and resume their normal routines in just a few weeks. For more information about Midlands Orthopaedics visit www.midlandsortho.com.
