Joint Preservation

For many patients with joint pain, surgery is not always the first or best option. Modern orthopaedics increasingly focuses on Joint Preservation — a specialised field aimed at maintaining the health of your natural joints, reducing pain and delaying or avoiding joint replacement surgery whenever possible.

At the Joint Preservation Centre, Dr Anand Jadhav offers advanced treatments designed to preserve joint function, restore mobility and help patients continue enjoying active lifestyles.

What is Joint Preservation?

Joint Preservation involves a range of treatments that aim to:

• Relieve pain
• Improve joint function
• Slow down arthritis progression
• Repair damaged cartilage, ligaments and tendons
• Delay or avoid joint replacement surgery

Who Can Benefit from Joint Preservation?

Joint preservation treatments may be suitable for patients with:

• Early arthritis
• Cartilage injuries
• Meniscal injuries
• Ligament injuries
• Sports injuries
• Joint instability
• Tendon problems
• Early avascular necrosis (AVN)
• Malalignment of the lower limb
• Persistent joint pain despite conservative treatment

These treatments are especially useful for patients who are considered too young or too active for joint replacement surgery.

Common Joint Preservation Treatments

Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation

A structured rehabilitation programme remains the foundation of joint preservation. Physiotherapy can improve muscle strength, restore joint movement, improve balance and stability, reduce pain, and improve sporting performance. Often, a well-designed exercise programme can significantly delay the need for surgery.

Lifestyle Modification and Weight Management

Even small reductions in body weight can substantially reduce forces across weight-bearing joints such as the knee and hip. Patients are often advised regarding weight management, activity modification, exercise programmes, sports-specific conditioning and nutritional support.

Injection Therapies

Modern injection treatments can help reduce pain and improve function in selected patients. These include:

• Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP)
• Hyaluronic Acid injections
• Bone Marrow Aspirate Concentrate (BMAC)
• Selected regenerative therapies

These treatments may be beneficial in early arthritis, tendon disorders and sports injuries.

Arthroscopic Surgery

Arthroscopy allows many joint problems to be treated using minimally invasive keyhole surgery. Common procedures include:

• Meniscus repair
• Cartilage procedures
• Ligament reconstruction
• Shoulder stabilisation surgery
• Rotator cuff repair
• Removal of loose bodies

Arthroscopy often allows patients to return to activity more quickly while preserving normal joint structures.

Cartilage Restoration Procedures

Damage to joint cartilage can lead to early arthritis if left untreated. Modern cartilage restoration procedures include:

• Microfracture
• Abrasion Chondroplasty
• Osteochondral transplantation
• Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation (ACI)

These procedures aim to restore damaged cartilage and preserve the natural joint.

Osteotomy Surgery

In selected patients with early arthritis and limb malalignment, osteotomy surgery can redistribute forces across the joint and delay joint replacement surgery for many years. Examples include High Tibial Osteotomy (HTO) and Distal Femoral Osteotomy (DFO). These procedures are particularly useful in younger active patients with early knee arthritis.

Early Treatment of Avascular Necrosis (AVN)

When diagnosed early, AVN of the hip may be treated with joint-preserving procedures such as core decompression, bone grafting, and regenerative treatments with PRP, BMAC or Cultured Osteoblast Implantation. Early diagnosis is crucial to achieving the best outcomes.

Why is Early Diagnosis Important?

Many joint conditions progress gradually over time. Early intervention often allows:

• Better outcomes
• Simpler treatment options
• Faster recovery
• Reduced pain
• Delay or avoidance of joint replacement surgery

When is Joint Replacement Necessary?

Despite advances in joint preservation, some patients eventually develop severe arthritis where replacement surgery offers the best long-term outcome. The goal of joint preservation is not to avoid replacement at all costs, but rather to ensure that joint replacement is performed at the right time and for the right reasons.

Why Choose Dr Anand Jadhav?

Dr Anand Jadhav has over 30 years of orthopaedic experience and specialises in both Joint Preservation Surgery and Robotic Joint Replacement. His expertise includes:

• Sports Medicine
• Arthroscopy
• Cartilage Restoration
• Osteotomy Surgery
• Regenerative Orthopaedics
• Robotic Joint Replacement

This unique combination allows Dr Jadhav to offer the full spectrum of treatment options — from preserving the natural joint to advanced robotic replacement surgery when required.

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