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PARTS OF YOUR
KNEE
are like the
shock absorbers on
your car. You rely
on them to cushion
your ride.
However, after
many miles on the
road, wear and tear
can reduce the ef-
fectiveness of that
cushion and make
for a painful journey. Just like the shocks on your car,
you may eventually need to replace your worn-out parts.
WHEN MAY SURGERY BE NEEDED?
“If your knees are
badly damaged by arthritis or injury, it may become
difficult to perform simple activities, like walking or
climbing stairs,” says Sooren Karayan, MD, orthopedic
surgeon at Glendale Adventist Medical Center (GAMC).
“If medications, lifestyle changes and other treatments
do not relieve your pain, you may want to consider knee
replacement surgery.”
The No. 1 reason for knee replacement is arthritis,
according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic
Surgeons (AAOS). One common type, osteoarthritis,
occurs when the cartilage that cushions the bones of the
knee wears away. The bones then rub together, causing
stiffness and pain.
Other popular reasons for knee replacement include
having rheumatoid arthritis or arthritis caused by a seri-
ous knee injury, such as a fracture or torn knee ligaments.
HOW IS THE SURGERY PERFORMED?
“Total knee re-
placement surgery involves a surgeon replacing the sur-
faces of your knee joint and kneecap with metal or plastic
parts or a combination of both,” Dr. Karayan explains.
If only part of your knee joint is damaged, your doctor
may recommend a partial knee replacement. The partial
procedure involves replacing only the damaged part.
WHAT ARE THE RISKS AND BENEFITS?
Before you
decide to have surgery, it’s important to understand what
it will and will not do for you.
More than 90 percent of knee replacement patients
experience a dramatic reduction in pain and a signifi-
cant improvement in ability to perform daily activities,
according to the AAOS.
Total knee replacement surgery will not enable you
to do more than you could before your knee became
damaged, and at some point, you may need to have
more surgery to fix or replace the artificial parts, re-
ports the AAOS.
Following joint replacement, physical ther-
apy is necessary to help you get on the path to
healing. The therapists at GAMC’s Therapy &
Wellness Center offer experienced, compas-
sionate care for all your physical therapy needs. To
learn more, visit
AdventistHealth.org/Glendale/TWC.
You don’t have to put up with a
bad knee. Make an appointment
with a GAMC orthopedic surgeon.
Call (818) 409-8100.
“We recognize that Christmas is a day
when people are home surrounded by
families and friends, but for our patients,
we just want them to feel loved,” says
Irene Bourdon, president of the Health-
care Foundation. “That’s what all this is
about—sharing love.”
GAMC and the Healthcare Foundation
wish to thank Bloomingdale’s Glendale
store manager Wiley Bartine and public
relations manager Kelli Daley for their
support of the Hug-a-Bear project. The
Healthcare Foundation welcomes busi-
ness and community participation in
GAMC programs that benefit
patient care. Please contact the
foundation at
(818) 409-8055
for information.
TO HELP BRIGHTEN
patients’ spirits
during the holidays, Glendale Adventist
Medical Center’s Healthcare Foundation
and Bloomingdale’s had the perfect rem-
edy: a huggable teddy bear!
Bloomingdale’s is famous for its an-
nual holiday Little Brown Bear—“cute,
cuddly and out to make the world a better
place.” An anonymous donor to the GAMC
Healthcare Foundation initiated the proj-
ect two years ago by purchasing armloads
of Little Brown Bears to give to patients
as a little extra TLC during the holidays.
Bloomingdale’s quickly became enthusi-
astic partners by matching the donation.
Hospital nurses, associates and execu-
tives made their rounds and distributed
over 60 bears the day before Christmas.
KNEE REPLACEMENT SURGERY
Knee surgerymay be what
gets you going again
HEALTHY YOU
T O L E A R N M O R E A B O U T G A M C , V I S I T
A D V E N T I S T H E A LT H . O R G / G L E N D A L E
5
Sooren Karayan, MD
GAMC and Bloomingdale’s Glendale
brighten patients’ holidays with ‘Hug-a-Bear’
Kelli Daley (left), public relations man-
ager for Bloomingdale’s Glendale, and
Emillie Battig, GAMC nursing director,
getting ready to distribute bears to
patients.
GAMC friends and associates gather to say thank you before distributing the Hug-a-Bears.