Is it possible to avoid surgery for joint pain?

“Come back when you are ready for surgery.”

Have you heard this from your surgeon?

I believe most surgeons are asking one question: “Is it legal and ethical for me to do surgery on this joint based on what I have been taught or not?”

If the answer is yes, then they will recommend surgery. And if the answer is no, they will refer you back to your primary care physician, recommend a steroid injection, and say, “Come back when you are ready for surgery.”

Notice that all of these options are leading to surgery, whether now or later. What if we ask a different question: “Is it possible to avoid surgery?”

This question will open up multiple options that will help you improve the “functional unit” of the joint and surrounding tissues.

Simply put, the better a joint functions, the less damage occurs in and around the joint, which reduces the potential need for surgery.

Conversely, the worse one of your joints functions, the more damage occurs in and around the joint, which increases the likelihood of surgery.

Any good surgeon will tell you it’s always best to avoid surgery if you can.

So if you have been told, “Come back when you are ready for surgery,” then maybe it’s time to get another opinion on how you can improve the function of the joint and surrounding tissue, reduce the damage that is occurring, and improve or restore the quality of life that has been taken from you because of joint damage and pain.

PC Medical Centers is an integrated medical clinic with multiple providers working together to provide better patient outcomes, with less invasive procedures, and less risk to the patient.