If you suffer from chronic joint pain, joint replacement surgery isn’t your only option. Foot and ankle specialist Paul Spiegl, MD, specializes in joint preservation techniques at Perimeter Orthopaedics, PC in Atlanta and Woodstock, Georgia. Call or book an appointment online today to find out how joint preservation can help you reduce or eliminate the need for a procedure like ankle fusion or total ankle replacement.
Joint preservation focuses on improving and maintaining your natural joint tissues so you can avoid invasive procedures like a total joint replacement further down the road. Joint replacement is a highly successful procedure, but every surgery comes with risks. The team at Perimeter Orthopaedics, PC strives to help you avoid surgery whenever possible.
Most problems that cause joint pain don’t require surgery. Arthritis is the most common reason for joint replacement surgery, especially osteoarthritis.
At Perimeter Orthopaedics, PC, Dr. Spiegl uses ankle joint preservation techniques to help patients with this degenerative form of arthritis avoid procedures like ankle fusion and total ankle replacement.
The team at Perimeter Orthopaedics, PC uses cutting-edge joint preservation techniques as well as those that have evolved over several decades. Depending on your needs, they may recommend:
Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is a regenerative medicine technique that uses healing substances from your own blood. One milliliter of blood contains hundreds of thousands of platelets that release chemicals that stimulate tissue repair.
Stem cell injections are another type of regenerative medicine. This approach uses stem cells from another part of your body, such as bone marrow, or from a donor. The stem cells can turn into more stem cells or other specialized cells, including bone and cartilage.
Aside from regenerative medicine, other types of therapeutic injections include viscosupplementation with hyaluronic acid and corticosteroid injections.
If you have tissue damage in only one part of your joint, you may be a candidate for a partial joint replacement. This approach replaces the damaged area while preserving part of your natural joint. A partial joint replacement is less invasive than a total replacement.
There are many benefits of joint preservation. These techniques involve less pain and a faster recovery time than total joint replacement surgery.
Additionally, joint replacement components don’t last forever. Even a successful joint replacement can become loose or wear out over time, especially in active adults. Joint preservation helps you avoid revision surgeries, which are more complex and require a longer recovery time.
To learn more about joint preservation, call Perimeter Orthopaedics or book an appointment online today.
