The hip joint is the most commonly replaced joint. But today implants can replace shoulder, knee, finger, ankle and even elbow joints. Joint replacement is most successful in large joints such as hips and knees. It can help you get back on your feet and resume an active, pain-free lifestyle. In smaller hand joints, it can improve appearance and comfort but may not significantly improve your joint s mobility.
Surgeons can also reposition bones to help correct deformities.
And they can permanently fuse bones in a joint to increase stability and reduce pain. The fused joint can bear weight but has no flexibility. Legal restrictions and terms of use applicable to this site. Use of this site signifies your agreement to the terms of use . A single copy of these materials may be reprinted for noncommercial personal use only.