Rehab Select Blog

Joint replacement surgery, which replaces a damaged or diseased joint with an artificial joint, has helped millions of people reduce chronic pain and restore mobility and independence. Knees and hips are the joints most frequently replaced via these procedures, with over a million Americans having one of these joints replaced every year, according the National Institutes of Health. So why do so many people need joint replacement? In many cases, arthritis is the answer to that question, as the disease causes joint damage and deterioration that can lead to chronic pain and significant disability, severely impacting quality of life.

Case managers play an important role in our health care system – a role that has expanded greatly over the last several decades. So what does a case manager do? Case managers are professionals who specialize in overseeing and organizing the case management process, which is, according to the Association of Rehabilitation Nurses, "a process of assessing, planning, organizing, coordinating, implementing, monitoring and evaluating the services and resources needed to respond to an individual's health care needs."

Understanding senior health care benefits is very important for people who have reached, or are approaching, the age of retirement. After all, everyone wants to feel secure and comfortable during those Golden Years, and good medical care is essential to enjoying that feeling. So what do aging Americans need to know about health benefits? 

If you are considering joint replacement surgery, knowing exactly what you're getting into is essential to making a well-informed decision about whether or not this surgery is right for you. Should you decide to move forward with surgery, knowing what to expect from the procedure, as well as the recovery and rehabilitation period, is very important to ensure you're prepared to make solid decisions about your care throughout the process. In the interest of helping you learn what you need to know to make these decisions with confidence, let's go over the basic facts on joint replacement procedures.

If you or a loved one is spending time in the hospital due to a serious medical event, surgery, or illness, and discharge planning is underway, you may have heard the term "care planning meeting" used in reference to those preparations. So just what is the purpose a care planning meeting? Who is responsible for setting up these meetings? Who will be involved and what do they offer in terms of improving patient care?

If you will be having a knee or hip replaced to treat joint damage done by arthritis, you should know that how your recovery and rehabilitation is handled is as important as the joint replacement surgery itself in terms of achieving an optimal outcome – reduced pain, increased mobility, and improved quality of life. That means having a good plan in place well ahead of your procedure date for your recovery and rehabilitation period is essential. Here are some planning tips that can help you ensure the best recovery.

According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, 54 million people either already have osteoporosis or are at high risk for developing the disease due to low bone mass. The consequences of this very common and often debilitating disease can be severe and in some cases, even life threatening. Studies suggest that approximately one in two women and up to one in four men age 50 and older will break a bone due to osteoporosis, and serious fractures in the hip or spine are among the most common. Knowing what steps to take to preserve bone health is essential. So what can be done to prevent osteoporosis, or, for those already diagnosed with the disease, minimize its effects?

Millions of Americans provide daily care for aging and chronically ill family members, friends and neighbors – care that can enable these individuals to remain in their own homes and communities and enrich the quality of their lives. If you are a caregiver, you know that it can be a very rewarding experience but can also be physically and emotionally draining. That's why it's very important for caregivers to have an occasional break. Respite care offers caregivers resources for meeting that need, providing the help they need to carve out a little time to recharge.

If you are in the process of planning a surgical procedure or have recently had an unexpected surgery as a result of an injury, cardiac event or other acute medical incident, post operative rehabilitation is an issue that you will be concerned with during your recovery period. After serious procedures your health care team may suggest a short term rehab facility for your post-op rehab, which will provide intensive rehabilitation therapy in an inpatient setting. If so, there are a number of factors to consider as you weigh that advice.

Knee replacement procedures are surgeries that remove part or all of a damaged or diseased knee joint, replacing it with a prosthetic, or artificial, joint. These procedures are the most common form of joint replacement surgery and are performed in approximately 600,000 patients every year in the United States. So why do so many people need knee replacement? Here we'll look into what conditions commonly lead to knee replacement surgery and a number of facts and statistics about these procedures that may be helpful to those considering a means of treatment.