Joint Replacement Treatments, Wellness are Focus of South Nassau’s Newest Program

USA (SANEPR.com) May 14, 2009 -- In response to the rising need and demand for joint replacement surgery, South Nassau Communities Hospital’s Center for Advanced Orthopedics recently introduced the Long Island Joint Replacement Institute™ (LIJRI). The institute offers patient-centered treatment options and a continuum of care that is vital to achieve the maximum benefits of joint replacement surgery.

According to the American College of Rheumatology, approximately 600,000 adults in the United States will have a hip or knee replaced in 2009. A report presented at the 2006 annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery, estimates that the total number of knee and hip replacements will rise to nearly 4.1 million by 2030.

The driving force behind the surge in joint replacement surgeries is a combination of factors, including an aging population; the short- and long-term success of joint replacements; longer life expectancy; the obesity epidemic; and the propensity for favorable health insurance coverage.

“The patient-centered treatment options we provide are tailored to the needs of the patients and will free them from the debilitating pain and lifestyle restrictions caused by joints that have been damaged by overuse, repetitive injury, and osteoarthritis,” said Craig Levitz, MD, Chairman of Orthopedics at South Nassau and Director of the Center for Advanced Orthopedics.

Surgeons specialize in custom-fitted total joint replacement as well as minimally invasive joint replacement surgery, including the Birmingham Hip™ resurfacing technique (a revolutionary alternative to total hip replacement) and the Uni-Knee® partial knee replacement and Image-Guided Knee Replacement technique.

Minimally invasive joint replacement reduces trauma to surrounding tissue, blood loss during surgery, post-operative pain, and recovery time, leading to a speedier rehabilitation and return to daily activities. According to Dr. Levitz, the average length of stay of patients treated by the institute is less than 3 days, which is well below the national average.

The Joint Replacement Institute combines image-guided medical technology with minimally invasive knee replacement instrumentation. Image-guided surgical technology is used to determine the precise alignment of the replacement parts; improves the surgeon’s view of and feel for the surgical field and reduces the size of the incisions to perform a replacement.

South Nassau was among the first hospitals in the U.S. with a physician performing the Birmingham Hip resurfacing technique. Rather than replacing the entire hip joint, resurfacing simply removes the damaged portion of the bone within the joint. Mid-term results of a comparison study show that the Birmingham Hip performs as well as or better than the conventional total hip replacement. Patient benefits include decreased bone loss, greater range of motion, minimal restriction on mobility after recovery and a return to physical activities and recreation, such as running marathons and playing tennis. It also reduces post-operative risks of dislocation and inaccurate leg length.

Other procedures offered by the Institute’s physicians include reconstruction of foot and ankle injuries, pediatric orthopedics, hand and upper extremities, and meniscus cartilage transplantation and Carticel Therapy to correct recurring knee cartilage injuries.

For more information about the Long Island Joint Replacement Institute or to schedule a consultation, call 1-877-SouthNassau.