Joint Replacements



Shoulder, elbow, wrist, hip, knee, ankle and even some of the small finger and toe joints can be replaced by an artificial joint. 

                   

see also minimal invasive hip surgery

Examples of our work -

1. X-ray of a healthy ankle

2. X-Ray of an arthritic (worn out) ankle

3. X-Ray after insertion of ankle prosthesis

4. Scar following ankle operation

Our orthopaedic team performs total joint replacements -if appropriate performed as minimal invasive surgery- , as well as re-vision surgery when the original joint replacement wears out and a new one is needed. If appropriate, instead of removing the worn out hip completely and replacing it with a total hip prosthesis, the technique of hip resurfacing is used, inserting a prosthesis type Birmingham.

 

During the pre-operative consultation, a decision is made together with the patient regarding exactly what type of surgery would be appropriate by looking at factors such as age, physical activity, general health, bone density, etc. Sometimes there may be several options. For example, before having a total knee replacement done there might be other possibilities to help you such as replacing just one half of the knee or even surgically repairing cartilage damage which would buy some time before having to have the total knee replacement.

The hospital stay for a standard total joint replace-ment is on aver-age 7 - 10 days in a private hospital, following minimal invasive surgery it would be 2 to 4 days, either in Torremolinos or Marbella. You will be seen every day by the consultant orthopaedic surgeon as well as the physio-therapist  who would begin your rehabilitation in hospital soon after surgery and continue working with you at Clinica SANDALF until you have fully recovered from the operation.

click on photos to enlarge
If the waiting list is too long for you at home and you would like to come to the Costa del Sol to have the joint replacement done, we can arrange everything for you. This would include pick-up from the airport to take you to the hospital, pre-operative consultation, the operation itself including the prosthesis, hospital stay and physiotherapy, and then an apartment or hotel after leaving hospital while you continue your physiotherapy and prepare yourself to get back home. Return to your home country depends on your recovery, but is on average between 2 to 4 weeks!