Delaying Joint Replacement

by Nina

Did any of you read Jane Brody’s latest article on arthritis Relief for Joints Besieged by Arthritis in the New York Times last week? Well, I did. And as someone who had an orthopedist say to me, “You are heading for a joint replacement. It could be months or it could be years, but there is nothing you can do about it,” I was very struck by her discussion of joint replacement, especially the following quote:

 “People with osteoarthritis are relying more and more heavily on surgery,” Dr. David T. Felson, a rheumatologist and epidemiologist at Boston University School of Medicine, told me. “The rate of knee replacement is just skyrocketing, out of proportion to increases in arthritic changes seen on X-rays, and replacement surgery is contributing greatly to the rising costs of Medicare..”

She also quoted Dr. Felson saying that although hip replacement is “dynamite,” knee replacement may be far less helpful. “For 10 to 30 percent of patients, the improvement never comes.” Brody goes on to recommend to people, the same way we at Yoga for Healthy Aging do, that people try to postpone joint replacement if possible and states, ever so clearly and concisely, the reasons why:  

Artificial joints usually last 10 to 15 years. Delaying surgery is helpful because the earlier in life a joint is replaced, the more likely a subsequent replacement will be needed. And both devices and surgical techniques are constantly being improved; by delaying a joint replacement, you may end up with a simpler operation or more durable device.

Snails and a Bee on the Same Flower by Michele Macartney-Filgate

That’s it in a nutshell! So how exactly can you delay surgery if you’re having pain in your joints? Why yoga, of course. Although Brody doesn’t specifically recommend yoga, she does quote Dr. Felson again when talking about the importance of exercise for arthritic joints:

“The severity of pain is directly correlated with the degree of muscle weakness."

Well, that’s pretty clear, isn’t it? In fact, I’ve never seen it put that bluntly before. And the yoga standing poses, because they are weight bearing, are excellent for building strength in your knees and hips. For your knees, the poses where one or both bent knees are particularly beneficial (Warrior 1 and 2, Extended Side Angle pose, Powerful Pose, and so on). Although we have not yet addressed arthritis of the hip (note to self: good idea for future topic), most, if not all, of the standing poses would be beneficial for your hips. For arthritis of the shoulder joint, yoga provides a number of simple poses where you bear weight on your arms, including Downward and Upward-Facing Dog, Upward Plank pose (Purvottansana), and Side Plank pose (Vasithasana), so don’t think that if you can’t do Handstand yet, you can’t work on your arm strength (note to self: another good idea for future topic).  

Sometimes being slow is a good thing. 

P.S. Thank you Michele for this perfect photograph (isn't it amazing everyone?) as well as the rest of the other ones you've shared with us in the past and plan to share in the future. I can't wait for the next batch!