Surgical Treatments for Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is a prevalent and disabling condition most commonly affecting the knees, hips, and hands. Since there are currently no disease-modifying therapies available, patients with persistent pain and functional impairment despite pharmacologic and other non-operative therapies should be considered for surgical management. For both knee and hip Osteoarthritis, the most common surgical approach is total joint arthroplasty, an elective surgical procedure that generally has favorable outcomes with most patients reporting significant improvements in pain, function, and quality of life. Total joint arthroplasty has relatively low complication rates, with most patients able to be discharged home following a short hospital stay. The optimal timing for undergoing total joint arthroplasty and patient appropriateness for surgery are important considerations, and the current guidelines leave timing and patient selection at the discretion of physicians. Surgical approaches for hand osteoarthritis are less common and more varied, and include both arthrodesis and arthroplasty.