Joint Replacement

Joint pain, stiffness and swelling from arthritis or an injury can make your daily activities difficult. A joint replacement can relieve your symptoms and help you get moving again. At Trinity Health Of New England, our orthopedic surgeons have extensive experience in advanced techniques for joint replacement.

Joint Replacement: Why Choose Trinity Health Of New England?

Orthopedic surgeons at Trinity Health Of New England provide preoperative care, surgery and postoperative care to relieve joint pain and help you move more easily. You benefit from our:

Expertise in joint replacement: Our orthopedic surgeons, many of whom have board certifications and fellowship training, are experienced in performing joint replacements. We work with local providers to offer replacement procedures for major joints including knees, hips and shoulders.
Experienced teams working together: You’ll receive comprehensive care from your first visit through your follow-up care. With specialized training and experience, our entire team provides expert treatment for people receiving joint replacements.
Joint replacement education and prehab: To help you prepare for joint replacement surgery, we provide classes, a home safety evaluation and prehab. Prehab is an exercise program that you start before your operation to help you recover faster. The team offers digital resources with videos to show you how to do exercises and messaging to contact the care team.
National recognition: Our orthopedic programs have earned accreditations and received top ratings for joint replacement. These recognitions demonstrate our commitment to safe, effective orthopedic care that meets or exceeds national standards. The Connecticut Joint Replacement Institute, for example, has received advanced certification for joint replacement surgery by the Joint Commission.
Focus on patient experience: We pay special attention to your comfort and convenience before, during and after your joint replacement surgery. From private rooms to education classes, you get the support you need for a successful procedure and recovery.

Knee, Hip and Shoulder Replacement Surgery

Our orthopedic surgeons often work with surgeons in the community to treat major joints. Joint replacement surgeries include:

Knee replacement surgery:

Total knee replacement removes damaged cartilage and bone at the ends of the thighbone and shinbone, the bones that form the knee joint. Then the surgeon places implants at the ends of those bones. In some cases, the surgeon resurfaces the underside of the kneecap (patella). Our surgeons may be able to use a shorter incision to access the knee joint, resulting in less trauma to the muscles and tendons. Some surgeons use robotic-assisted techniques that can improve accuracy and precision.
Partial knee replacement removes and replaces damaged cartilage in only one area of the knee joint. We can also do these procedures using robotic-assisted techniques.

Hip replacement surgery:

Total hip replacement removes damaged cartilage and bone from the hip joint and replaces them with artificial components. Surgeons remove and replace the head (or “ball”) of the thighbone and the surface of the hip socket. Our surgeons can often use one or two short incisions to access the joint. These minimally invasive techniques can allow for less damage to nearby muscles and tendons.
Partial hip replacement removes and replaces either the ball or the socket of the hip joint. We most often do partial hip replacements for hip fractures.

Shoulder replacement surgery:

Total shoulder replacement removes and replaces the worn ball and socket parts of the shoulder joint.
Reverse total shoulder replacement reverses the positions of the ball and socket parts in the shoulder joint. Surgeons attach the artificial socket to the arm bone and the artificial ball to the shoulder blade. This procedure can help people who have severe, irreparable damage to their rotator cuff tendons.
Partial shoulder replacement involves only the ball portion of the shoulder joint. Surgeons either replace the entire ball portion or repair its surface, depending on the extent of the damage.

In collaboration with local surgeons, we offer minimally invasive and open procedures for a wide range of orthopedic conditions and injuries. Outpatient rehab can help you rebuild your strength as you get used to your new joint. Find out more about options for orthopedic surgery and physical and occupational therapy.

Reasons to Consider Joint Replacement

At Trinity Health Of New England, our orthopedic surgeons take a conservative approach to care. We always begin with nonsurgical treatments, such as medications, injections and physical therapy, to relieve pain and improve your mobility.

When nonsurgical options are no longer effective, joint replacement surgery helps restore function and relieve pain and other symptoms caused by chronic joint problems. The most common causes of joint problems are:

Osteoarthritis: Pain and stiffness develop as cartilage (smooth covering on the ends of bones) inside joints breaks down due to normal wear and tear or trauma. When the cartilage is worn away, bones rub together painfully.
Rheumatoid arthritis: This autoimmune disease occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks the lining inside joints, wearing away cartilage and causing severe pain and swelling. The bones eventually rub together, increasing pain and swelling.

It’s time to consider joint replacement surgery if you have symptoms such as:

Constant, severe joint pain
Pain that interferes with your sleep
Joint stiffness that reduces your ability to walk, exercise or engage in your normal activities