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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.