Collin County Living Well Magazine Fall 2013 | Page 58

What You Need to Know About Joint Replacements The number of joint replacements in the United States is increasing, especially in the last five years. Replacements are allowing more patients to be active and live a better lifestyle in most cases. However, despite good results overall, there are things you should know and look for when choosing your orthopedic surgeon. Not all joint surgeons are the same The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) has done hundreds of studies on outcomes for joint replacements. These studies have found that the best results are to be expected from these trained in joint replacement, have years of on-going experience, do at least 100 joint replacements a year or more and have experience on up-to-date technology. This is meant as a guideline to help patients choose their doctor but there are never any guarantees that excellent results will be the outcome. Fellowship trained joint surgeons have overall better outcomes Would you want a carpenter to build your house if it is his first one? I assume you would prefer the one who has extensive experience and a track record of good outcomes. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery has found that experience means better outcomes; this is also backed by governmental studies. It takes an experienced doctor roughly 10 to 20 cases to be very comfortable with a new procedure he has learned, but a non-joint surgeon can take 30 to 50 cases or more to be comfortable and may never become prolific at the new procedure. How do I protect myself and choose the right doctor? Being an orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Richard Buch had exposure to spine surgery but would not operate on a spine. Why? Because he does not have extensive experience in this type of surgery. He could do a spine surgery and have good outcomes but would more than likely end up with a higher complication rate than a fellowship trained spine surgeon. Choose an orthopedic surgeon who is fellowship trained in joint replacements. Ask the surgeon if he or she does a lot of replacements. Ask to speak with former patients. Seek second opinions. Dr. Richard Buch has over 25 years experience performing joint replacements. He has done over 10,000 hip and knee procedures. No pain, lots to gain. Live pain free. Dallas Joint Replacement Institute DallasJointReplacementInstitute.com 469-443-0924 Locations in Plano, Frisco, & Dallas 56 Collin County Living Well Magazine • Fall 2013