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Definition

Joint replacement is the surgical replacement of a joint with an artificial prosthesis.

Purpose

Great advances have been made in joint replacement since the first hip replacement was performed in the United States in 1969. Improvements have been made in the endurance and compatibility of materials used and the surgical techniques to install artificial joints. Custom joints can be made using a mold of the original joint that duplicate the original with a very high degree of accuracy.

The most common joints to be replaced are hips and knees. There is ongoing work on elbow and shoulder replacement, but some joint problems are still treated with joint resection (the surgical removal of the joint in question) or interpositional reconstruction (the reassembly of the joint from constituent parts).

Seventy percent of joint replacements are performed because arthritis has caused the joint to...