Chronic, severe joint pain affects nearly 30 percent of all Americans, according to the CDC. And in Oregon, nearly 900,000 adults suffer from arthritis and chronic joint pain. One of the most common joint problems reported is knee pain. Those Portland-area patients who need knee surgery have a new option for surgery now available locally and will benefit from the new Oregon Surgical Institute in Beaverton. This outpatient surgery was created through a partnership with Go To Ortho and Regent Surgical Health.
Go To Ortho, which opened this year as an urgent care model for orthopedic injuries, is now one of a handful of clinics that offers the new, partial knee replacement surgery. In the past, if you had arthritis, even if you only had damage in one part of your knee, total knee replacement was your only surgical option. Technological advances such as 3-D magnetic resonance imaging, robotic assistance and computer navigation have changed that – making partial knee replacement surgery a better alternative choice for many patients, especially those suffering from arthritis and osteoarthritis.
“If your knee pain is being caused by damage in only one compartment, you could be a candidate for partial knee replacement surgery,” said Dr. Amer Mirza, orthopedic surgeon and partner at Go To Ortho. “In a partial knee replacement, only the damaged part of the knee is replaced with plastic and metal components. The ligament connecting the thigh and femur bones is left intact, and more nerve pathways are left undamaged.”
Patients who undergo partial knee replacement recover in half the time as those who have full knee replacements. And although nearly one-third of patients who have full knee replacements continue to experience some symptoms like pain and stiffness, less than ten percent of partial knee replacement patients have residual symptoms.
The physicians at Go To Ortho partnered with Regent Surgical Health and other area physicians to open the Oregon Surgical Institute in Beaverton. This outpatient surgery center is designed specifically for performing joint replacement surgeries, meaning large operating room and recovery areas, wide hallways and hospital-scale sterilization areas. An outpatient surgery usually costs less and it reduces the risk of hospital-acquired infections.
“It’s a state-of-the-art facility,” continued Mirza. “It provides a great alternative to having to go to the hospital; less hassle and more personalized service.”
According to Mirza, the facility is proof of an ongoing trend to have direct access to specialists and surgical alternatives instead of what is traditionally available. Typically, one needs a referral to a specialist. However, at Go To Ortho, anyone suffering an immediate injury, or those who have old nagging injuries and want a second opinion, can walk in and get same-day appointments from orthopedic specialists.
Who is a candidate for partial knee surgery?
Patients with arthritis or osteoarthritis are great candidates for a partial knee replacement surgery. Technological advances mean partial knee surgery can be performed on both older patients and young, active patients. This partial knee can last up to 30 years, providing many patients a good long-term solution.
