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Joint Replacement Specialist

Gregg K. Satow, M.D.

Orthopedic Surgeon & Sports Medicine Specialist located in Monterey, CA

Each year in the United States, orthopedic surgeons perform between 860,000 and a million knee and hip replacement surgeries — and these numbers are expected to rise as the population ages. As a board-certified orthopedic surgeon, Gregg K. Satow, MD, joins these ranks, providing his patients in Monterey, California, with effective and life-changing joint replacements. If you’d like to regain pain-free movement in your knees or hips, call the office or schedule an appointment online today learn more about joint replacement surgery.

Joint Replacement Q & A

Why would I need joint replacement surgery?

By a wide margin, osteoarthritis is the most likely reason you’d need a joint replacement. This degenerative disease causes a breakdown in your cartilage, which is the slippery substance that covers the end of the bones in your joints to provide smooth gliding surfaces.

As your cartilage breaks down, your bones can rub together unprotected, causing pieces of bone to come loose or bone spurs to develop. The end result is that your joint has both cartilage and bone floating freely, which interferes with your function and creates swelling.

While arthritis is the primary culprit behind the need for joint replacement, injury or general wear and tear can also cause irreparable damage inside your knee or hip joints, making replacement the best option.

What happens during knee replacement surgery?

Dr. Satow uses the latest minimally invasive surgical techniques, including arthroscopy, to repair or replace your knee joint. There are several ways he can go about restoring function to your knees, including a partial or complete replacement.

After assessing the extent of the damage, Dr. Satow determines the best course of action, which may include some, or all, of the following:

  • Removing the damaged bone and cartilage
  • Placing metal or ceramic components in your knee
  • Resurfacing your patella (kneecap)
  • Placing a spacer in your joint

When it comes to knee replacements, Dr. Satow replaces only what’s needed and preserves what he can.

How is a hip joint replaced?

Hip replacement surgery has become the best solution for restoring function to aging, injured, or worn down joints. During the replacement, Dr. Satow:

  • Removes your damaged femoral head
  • Inserts a metal stem into your femur
  • Places a metal or ceramic ball on the stem
  • Cleans out the cartilage in your socket and resurfaces it with a metal component
  • Places a spacer between the replacement components

Dr. Satow offers partial and complete replacement options for hip joints, which he determines on a case-by-case basis.

How long will my replacement joint last?

There’s no one answer to this question as it depends on your use and care of your replacement joint. As a general rule of thumb, however, hip and knee replacements last 10-15 years.

If you’d like to explore whether you’re a good candidate for hip or knee joint replacement surgery, call Gregg K. Satow, M.D. or use schedule a consultation online today.