Baby boomers don’t want growing older to slow them down. They are swimming, taking yoga classes and even belly dancing. While these exercise help keep them fit, they can also cause injuries. Orthopedic Doctors Pensacola FL help them heal these injuries so that they can keep moving well into their golden years. They can also help repair the damage caused by osteoarthritis.
New techniques allow Orthopedic Doctors to resurface knee and shoulder joints without resorting to total joint replacement. After examining a patient, the doctor determines how much of the joint has been affected by arthritis. If the damage is limited to a specific area, the doctor trims away the damaged area of the bone. He then reshapes what is left to get it as close as possible to the original bone configuration. The cartilage, which has usually worn away, is replaced with an implant. The implant is cemented on the to reshaped bone area. Patients heal much more quickly than those who had joint replacement surgery. Generally they are up and around in four to eight weeks, as compared to the 12 weeks that it takes for the average joint replacement patient.
Lower back and neck pain also plaque many baby boomers. Chronic pain can prevent them from traveling and enjoying the hobbies that they waited a lifetime to do. The problem is often that nerves are pinched by protruding discs. After older people hear about the potential problems associated with disc surgery, they may opt not to have it. Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA) is a treatment that they will often choose to treat the pain symptoms. Orthopedic Doctors Pensacola FL specialists use a needle with an electrode on the end to melt the nerve ending. This reduces the nerve’s ability to sense pain.
This minimally invasive procedure is done in the hospital, but the patient can go home as soon as it’s over. Pain relief usually lasts up to 12 months, with some patients reporting longer periods. There is no lengthy recovery period and no physical therapy sessions are required. Patients can return to normal activity within the next few days.
For more information, visit Panhandle Orthopaedics.
