What makes elbow joint replacement surgery necessary?
A joint replacement surgery is usually considered a last resort for a badly damaged and painful elbow joint. The artificial joint replaces the damaged surfaces with metal and plastic that are designed to fit together and rub smoothly against each other. This takes away the pain of bone rubbing against bone. The most common reason for an artificial elbow replacement is arthritis. There are two main types of arthritis, degenerative and systemic. Degenerative arthritis is also called wear-and-tear arthritis, or osteoarthritis. Any injury to the elbow can damage the joint and lead to degenerative arthritis. Arthritis may not show up for many years after the injury. Related Document: Sutton Place Physical Therapy’s Guide to Osteoarthritis There are many types of systemic arthritis. The most common form is rheumatoid arthritis. All types of systemic arthritis are diseases that affect many, or even all, of the joints in the body. Systemic arthritis causes destruction of the joints’ articular
