Lehigh Valley Hospital: When It Matters Most
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Orthopedics

Arthritis and Total Joint Replacement

If you have pain in your knees or hips, you may have arthritis. Our orthopedic surgeons can help relieve your pain and restore your mobility.

Arthritis and Joint ReplacementWhen your joints become inflamed, it's called arthritis. This condition can cause pain, swelling and stiffness. The most common types of arthritis are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Osteoarthritis results from wear and tear on your joints and is most often caused by aging and heredity. It also can occur years after an injury. To treat osteoarthritis, our surgeons begin with non-surgical options, such as rest, physical therapy and medications, and then consider several surgical options, including joint replacement.

Rheumatoid Arthritis is when the cells that line and normally lubricate the joints become inflamed and swollen, damaging the connective tissues. It can cause the joints to ache and throb and make it difficult to walk. There is no cure for rheumatoid arthritis, but proper treatment can help you live a long, productive life. We offer surgical procedures, including total joint replacement, which relieves pain and improves your mobility.

In the early stages, arthritis can be treated medically with drugs, physical therapy, braces, exercise and restricting your activities. When arthritis is advanced, surgical treatment may be necessary. Surgery may include cleaning out the joint (arthroscopic debridement), straightening the bones (osteotomy) or joint replacement.

Joint Replacement

When arthritis in your knees or hips becomes too painful and limits your activities, it may be time for total joint replacement surgery. Our fellowship-trained surgeons offer the latest techniques and options for hip, knee and shoulder replacement, so you can live with less pain and improved movement.

Our surgeons offer the latest in joint replacement technology to improve the wear and fixation of hip and knee replacements. This includes using new plastics and metals called alternative bearing implants. These implants wear better and last longer. They also offer techniques to reduce the size of incisions and resulting scars, and administer anti-inflammatory and anti-nausea drugs before, during and after surgery to help you get active right away and speed your recovery.

For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 610-402-CARE.



This page last updated 2/12/08 04:08 PM
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LVH Info Line: 610-402-CARE
Cedar Crest & I-78, P.O. Box 689, Allentown, PA 18105-1556

Lehigh Valley Hospital has campuses in Allentown and Bethlehem, Pa. and serves the Pennsylvania communities of Easton, Doylestown, Quakertown, Hazelton, Lehighton, Perkasie, Pottstown, Pottsville, Reading, Scranton, Wilkes Barre, Stroudsburg, and the Poconos and also Phillipsburg and Flemington, N.J., and western New Jersey. You don't have to travel to Philadelphia or New York for quality health care.

 
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