Sometimes patients don’t fair well after a joint replacement because their legs have become uneven. If the doctors fail to measure the lengths of the legs correctly prior to the procedure, a discrepancy in leg length is often the result. The body can compensate for a small amount, but when leg length discrepancy becomes too large, it creates imbalances in other joints and wreaks havoc. For example, a short leg tips the pelvis and curves the spine, creating a scoliosis, causing disc problems, pinched nerves and even accelerate degeneration of other joints. Unfortunately, most orthopedic surgery is very difficult to change after the fact, so leg deficiencies created by joint replacement can cause problems patients may have to dealt with forever.
One of the problems with modern medicine is its segmented approach to the body. With so many specialists, the body is diagnosed and treated in parts, but rarely a cohesive whole. The joints, for example form a kinetic chain, with one joint greatly affecting another. Too often the treatment focus is only on the area of complaint, without concern of how it will affect the rest of the structure and the patient ends up suffering with chronic problems – even though their surgery was considered a success.
What’s missing from this system is a holistic viewpoint that not only treats the damaged area, but also considers other areas that will compensate. Unfortunately, most doctors are not trained how to analyze a patient’s posture and entire structure in relation to the area being treated. At Solutions, we do this everyday and on every patient. We have a team of doctors, nurses and therapists who have extensive experience in treating damaged joints – but with a holistic viewpoint.
When we treat a patient, we pull everything together including information from foot & posture scans, spinal & joint x-rays and functional orthopedic testing. If a patient just needs their right knee treated, we study their right knee plus all their other joints to make sure the treatment is as inclusive as possible so nothing is missed. This is one of the reasons our success rate is so high. If you’re facing a joint replacement, a ‘pre-surgical’ joint and posture evaluation at Solutions is a smart move. We may be able to help prevent future problems after the procedure or even offer natural options that may help you avoid surgery altogether. Contact us to discuss your options.
