Joint Replacement
Hip, Knee, and Shoulder Joint Replacements
At Exeter Hospital we provide conservative treatment for hip, knee, and shoulder patients ranging from non-surgical to joint replacement.
Our joint replacement team at Exeter Hospital provides a comprehensive, patient-driven surgical process to help patients regain mobility and relieve pain. Our recovery and rehabilitative program is designed to help patients achieve their maximum potential following joint replacement.
The focus is on attending to our patients' needs from the moment surgery is scheduled through the completion of the rehabilitation process. Choosing to undergo joint replacement can be a big step. We understand and we'll be with you, every step of the way.
Joint replacement surgery is one of the most common and successful treatments for certain types of arthritis in the hip or knee. The most common cause of pain is osteoarthritis, which occurs when the cartilage between bones wears away. Joint replacement surgery replaces the deteriorated joint and cartilage with artificial joints.
Expert Joint Replacement Team
The team at the Joint Replacement Center at Exeter Hospital delivers treatments that are innovative, advanced, and in many cases unavailable anywhere else in the Seacoast Region. Our goal is to provide the best medical care and streamline recovery so patients can return to normal activity as soon as possible.
Our team of skilled professionals includes:
- An orthopedic care specialist to assist with care from start to finish, serving as your single point of contact
- Highly trained surgeons specializing in hip, knee, and shoulder joint replacement
- An orthopedic nurse case manager for your inpatient stay and homebound transition
- Specially trained and certified orthopedic care nurses
- Physical and occupational rehabilitation therapists
Types of Joint Replacement Surgeries
Thomas McGovern, MD, is experienced in anterior hip replacement, a minimally invasive technique that has replaced the standard posterior approach. “Anterior” refers to the front.
In this surgery, only one small incision is made on the front of the hip to perform the replacement. Additionally, this allows the surgeon to simply separate the muscles, rather than cutting and reattaching them to access the joint. Less trauma to the muscle tissue means a faster recovery, less weakness and no restrictions on activity.
Dr. McGovern uses the hana table for anterior hip replacements. The hana is a state-of-the-art surgery table that allows the patient to be positioned ideally for hip replacement through the front using a small incision.
Thomas McGovern, MD, uses the MAKO robotic arm for partial and full knee replacements. The MAKO technology allows for more precise and custom treatment of the joint, enabling Dr. McGovern to perform partial and full knee replacements, extending the life of the joint.
Most knee and hip replacement surgeries take place because of arthritis, in which deterioration of the cushioning in the joint leads to painful bone-on-bone contact. However, about 15 percent of patients only have arthritis in a small part of the joint and a full replacement may be unnecessary.
In these cases, a partial knee replacement could be done, but a partial knee replacement is more complex as the surgeon is only removing a part as opposed to the entire joint.
For a partial joint replacement, as with a full knee replacement, Dr. McGovern starts with a 3D CT scan to map out the joint to ensure a custom fit. Using the robotic arm for the surgery allows Dr. McGovern to be much more precise and does not allow the surgeon to go “outside the lines” of the mapped out boundaries of the part to be replaced.
Dr. McGovern has performed thousands of joint replacements in his career as an orthopedic surgeon.
If non-surgical treatments such as medications or changes in your activities are no longer helpful in relieving your shoulder pain, you may want to consider shoulder joint replacement surgery. Shoulder joint replacement surgery is a safe and effective way to relieve shoulder pain to help you resume everyday activities.
Total shoulder replacement involves replacing the joint ball and the socket with an implant (prosthesis). Implants contain a ball with a stem that extends down inside the upper arm bone (humerus) and a socket that is placed over the surface of the glenoid. Replacement of both the humeral head and the socket is called a total shoulder replacement.
