Practice Makes Perfect

"Our surgeons do this over a thousand times a year," says Joseph D. Zuckerman, MD, Chairman of the NYU - Hospital for Joint Diseases Department of Orthopedic Surgery. "It's a great feeling to restore quality of life in such a dramatic way. This is what joint replacement surgery is all about -- restoring function, after years of pain and restricted mobility.

"Joint replacement surgery is truly one of the outstanding success stories of modern medicine, and with the integration of orthopedic surgery at NYU and HJD in 1997, you couldn't find a better place to have this surgery done," Dr. Zuckerman continues. "Our department combines the broad strengths of a world-class academic medical center with the unique expertise of a highly specialized facility; we have more than a dozen superb surgeons who specialize in both complex and routine joint replacement. These surgeons and their operating room teams have so much experience with these procedures that they have become as refined and polished as a choreographed ballet. It's unlikely our staff will ever come across anything they haven't seen before, and they are prepared for virtually every possibility."

Metal and Plastic

Where two bones come together to form a joint, they are normally covered with a smooth layer of cartilage, which allows movement without pain and with very little friction. Cartilage, however, can become damaged or worn away, by trauma or arthritis, resulting in a stiff and painful joint. In many cases, the situation can be successfully managed with a combination of medications, to control the pain and restore mobility, surgical replacement of the affected joint can bring dramatic relief.

The surgery, which may take several hours, involves removing damaged cartilage and bone, and replacing them with new parts made from metal and plastic, crafted to restore normal motion and function. In hip replacement surgery, for example, the damaged natural ball at the top of the thigh bone or femur -- which normally fits into a rounded socket in th pelvis -- is replaced by a metal ball attached to a metal stem that is fitted into the femur. At the same time, a precisely matching socket -- made of smooth, highly durable plastic surrounded by a metal shell -- is implanted into the pelvic bone. The new ball and socket fit together to form a joint that restores the natural alignment and smooth motion of the hip.