Outpatient joint replacement is now an option at Precision Orthopaedic Specialties

By Patricia Nugent

As the pain in Patricia Armfelt’s knees began to worsen over the years, she saw the number of steps each day recorded on her Fitbit dwindle, hitting a low of 2,500 steps.

Although she always tried to stay physically active, the discomfort began to affect her daily life, limiting her to only short walks. She was unable to stand for more than 10 minutes at a time. And, most frightening of all, she was beginning to trip and fall with regularity.

She made the decision to seek help from Dr. Gregory Sarkisian, of Precision Orthopaedic Specialties.

“Patricia’s exam and X-rays were typical for someone dealing with the prolonged effects of osteoarthritis,” Dr. Gregory explains. “She was having pain and difficulty walking and her X-rays showed progressive osteoarthritis with ‘bone-on-bone’ changes, in which the cartilage padding between the bones in her knees had been completely worn away.”

He recommended that Patricia have both knees replaced. Because of her age and otherwise good health, he also suggested completing the surgery in an outpatient setting.

Luckily, there have been many advancements in total knee and total hip replacements over the past few years, both in materials and surgical techniques. And performing them on an outpatient basis costs about one-third as much as a traditional inpatient procedure.

Outpatient joint replacement surgeries are typically less painful, have a decreased risk of infection, and allow for a more progressive physical therapy regimen that begins the day of the procedure.

“We have our patients up and walking within hours of their joint replacement,” says Dr. Sarkisian, who has performed hundreds of outpatient joint procedures. “Patients love the idea of beginning their recovery in the comfort of their own home surrounded by family and friends.”

The best candidates are those who are relatively healthy, motivated, active movers, and have a positive attitude and support group of family and friends to help through recovery.

Patricia reports she is very happy with the procedure and was walking without pain for the first time in many years.

Dr. Gregory C. Sarkisian is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon. Precision Orthopaedic Specialties has locations in Auburn, Beachwood, Middlefield. The main office is in Chardon at 150 Seventh Avenue, Suite 200. Call 440-285-4999 or visit PrecisionOrthopaedic.com for more information.