4 Reasons YOU WON'T Receive a Total Joint Replacement and 3 Reasons you SHOULD!
Hey Team,
Whatever you have been doing lately… I hope you're staying active.
As the snow continues to melt, we tend to become more active, and people tend to participate in more activities. Spring vacation, hosting a barbecue, watching baseball games… who knows? But to some… the increase in activity can be frustrating.
Let me dig a little deeper. My dad is a great guy. He is one of the most active people I have ever met and loves to be a help. He cuts all my grass at the office, helps with maintenance, and runs errands. (No, you can't have him!). He is a true giver. Anyway, about ten years ago, he started to slow down. We would ask if he wanted to go to a reception with us, Walmart, or Spokane. He would reluctantly say no. We never pushed but consistently offered. Why would he say no? He is a very social guy. We didn't know his hip joint was starting to wear out. His pain in the hip was becoming more noticeable, and he was becoming more tired as a result. He thought this was back pain, but after an evaluation, I found it was hip Osteoarthritis. His joint was slowly wearing away.
What happened with my dad? His hip was too far gone. His joint was entirely eroded, and he continued to have consistent pain in the joint with increased activity. He started to walk with considerable deviation, needed help getting out of a low car, and could not walk over 300 feet. Friends and coworkers consistently asked if he was ok because he couldn't move well. Overall, he was self-limiting. Not just with his hip, but his LIFE!
4 REASONS YOU NEED A JOINT REPLACEMENT
1. Pain: My dad always said pain is the great equalizer. Pain could prevent you from being your best self, no matter how hard you want to try or how much effort you want to put into something. No matter who you are, pain makes you an incomplete or weakened shell of yourself. Overall, my dad was right. Pain prevents us from completing most of our tasks in our everyday daily life. Continued pain throughout the day due to an eroded joint will prevent us from being active, fully functional, and participating in normal social activities.
2. Loss of mobility: once a joint reduces full mobility, the body has to compensate. Your body will not be able to take as big of a stride, complete full motion with walking, or perform a full squat. A lack of mobility will prevent us from achieving full function in our normal daily activities and prevent us from walking efficiently.
3. Fatigue: Once the body becomes less efficient due to pain or loss of mobility, fatigue is usually a result. Premature fatigue is noted with pain or loss of function because the body must work harder to travel the same distance. With each step, the body becomes more fatigued because it works harder to perform the required task. This fatigue makes us more tired by the end of the day and prevents us from being fully active in social or home activities.
4. Loss of life: Just like the example of my dad earlier, when people have an increase in fatigue, loss of mobility, and pain- they tend to do fewer activities. This is widespread. Whenever we're invited to do a task, we think about the energy to perform the job. This prevents us from participating in regular social activities we usually enjoy, and we live a less complete life.
3 REASONS YOU WON'T RECEIVE A TOTAL JOINT REPLACEMENT
Fear: One of the reasons people resist receiving a total joint replacement is fear. Fear of the unknown and fear of the outcome are the usual reasons. People are not always aware of how this will resolve, and their situation is not considered terminal. Due to not being a terminal process… the decision is not considered urgent. Without a sense of urgency… we tend to be slow to decide. This is considered an elective procedure; therefore, people hesitate about a total joint replacement. People were hesitant to receive a joint replacement because of pain, fear of the unknown, and fear of recovery.
Indecision: Once people are hesitant due to fear, they tend to be indecisive. We tend not to make ANY decisions when we're unsure of the outcome or the process it will take to receive a joint replacement. There are many reasons we'd hesitate because there are multiple unknowns. For example, who will do your surgery, what will the surgery look like, what will the outcome be, and what will the recovery time be? All of these questions tend to lead to indecision. Anytime a person is indecisive; they tend to do nothing. People tend to choose something uncomfortable because it is known (living with chronic hip pain) than CHOOSE an unknown path (hip replacement surgery). Not until the pain becomes unbearable do people move forward with a joint replacement… at this point, the decision is made for them.
Time: People often hesitate to decide because they feel the joint pain might improve with more time. If I wait a couple more days, if I rest a little longer, if I don't do as much activity… it might get better. We also tend to be overly optimistic and feel that our pain is improving when it's not. This denial that time will eventually heal this injury prevents many people from receiving the care they deserve and living their best entire life without restrictions.
Overall, total joint replacement is a big decision. But our lack of mobility, pain, and fatigue leads us to this big decision.
How did we get to this point? Many times the erosion of the joint over time is gradual. We are not always aware that the joint is becoming stiffer, the pain is increasing, and our participation in social activities is declining. We tend to be in denial and feel TIME will heal all wounds.
Overall, however, we tend to lose one valuable part of our life - our social life. Due to our lack of participation in social activities, we tend not to be engaged with our friends, family, or coworkers.
I have witnessed many times in my field; people significantly improve their overall outlook on life once they receive their joint replacement.
For example, after receiving a total hip replacement, my dad dramatically enhanced. After his hip replacement and rehabilitation, he stated, "I feel ten years younger!" He even left retirement and returned to work due to feeling so well.
For any individual, a total joint replacement is a big decision. But for most individuals, when your social activities are becoming stunted due to pain, fear, or lack of mobility, it is often time to move forward with a joint replacement.
If you're undecided if a total joint replacement is a right decision for you, I would love to help you make an unbiased and informed decision that will guide you with the best answers for your needs. Are you making the most of your life?
Below is a short video that explains the benefits of Prehab before your hip surgery.
• The author, Rob Sumner, is a Doctor of Physical Therapy and owner of Sumner Specialized Physical Therapy. He's happy to answer any questions about this article, wellness, fitness, or physical therapy overall by phone at (509) 684-5621 or by email at Rob@SumnerPT.com
