SMC to host free knee replacement seminar

SMELTERVILLE — Shoshone Medical Center will be hosting an upcoming Peer to Peer community event discussing total knee arthroplasty.

TKA, also known as total knee replacement, is a surgical procedure to resurface a knee damaged by arthritis. Metal and plastic parts are used to cap the ends of the bones that form the knee joint, along with the kneecap.

This surgery may be considered for someone who has severe arthritis or a severe knee injury.

SMC’s Peer to Peer event will feature former patients discussing their experiences with TKA surgery, including before, during and after in a roundtable discussion type setting.

“We are hoping to recruit members from the community who are interested in pursuing this surgery, or just want to reflect on shared experience, come and listen, and ask questions,” said Emma Stayduhar, SMC organizer. “It will be pretty informal, and I hope to encourage lots of questions from the audience.”

As Stayduhar mentioned, the topics will be fairly simple, but hopefully cover a wide array of subject matter such as — what made them decide to get the surgery, timelines from beginning to end, surgeons (including experiences, follow-ups, etc), recovery, rehabilitation, as well as other special tips and pieces of advice to help encourage others to make decisions that could get them back on their feet.

TKA is one of the most commonly performed orthopedic procedures.

As of 2010, more than 600,000 TKAs were being performed annually in the United States and were growing increasingly more common.

The free event is scheduled for 3 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 21, at the SMC Wellness Center, located in Smelterville and will feature physical therapists Stayduhar, Cory Lewis and Bethany Reuter, as well as the former TKA patients.

For more information, please contact the Shoshone Medical Center Wellness Center at 208-784-4607.