Total Joint Replacement

You don’t have to live with joint pain. The orthopedic specialists at Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz understand how joint pain can affect your overall quality of life. It can limit how well you function at work, at home and during your everyday activities. Our comprehensive joint replacement program – replacing ankle, hip, knee or shoulder – will help you return to a pain-free life. Each year, more than one million Americans make the decision to end their chronic joint pain by undergoing a joint replacement procedure.

What to Expect with Joint Replacement Surgery

If you are planning for hip or knee replacement surgery, you probably have many questions.
Our program includes:

• Orthopedic Patient Navigator. Your personal guide through the surgical experience – before, during, and after your hospital stay.
• Preoperative education. We help you prepare for your surgery so you know exactly what to expect before, during and after your procedure.
• Early mobilization. Moving around is the best way to promote healing and recovery. It also minimizes your chances of infection and swelling, and helps with pain management.
• Orthopedic Rehabilitation. This starts in the hospital and continues and home. After outpatient rehabilitation we offer many classes through our PEP Program to keep you getting stronger throughout the year. 

Joint Replacement Services

At Dominican Hospital, we use the most advanced techniques to provide excellent orthopedic care. Procedures we perform include: 

• Ankle replacement
• Hip replacement surgery
  • Anterior hip replacement - This less invasive approach to total hip replacement allows orthopedic surgeons to access the hip joint from the front of the body as opposed to the side or back. No tendon is cut or detached during the procedure, so there is less pain and weakness. The majority of patients can walk without a cane or walker within two weeks.
• Partial knee replacement
  
  • Several weeks before surgery, a series of CT images are taken of the knee, hip, and ankle and uploaded to a software program that creates a 3-D virtual model of the knee. That model is then used to make a custom implant. CT scans also help accurately position the new knee for optimal alignment, stability, and load-bearing capabilities.
• Total knee replacement
• Total shoulder replacement
• Reverse total shoulder replacement

Preparing for Surgery

We are committed to ensuring patients and their caregivers are prepared for joint replacement surgery before, while in the hospital, and once discharged home. Learn how to prepare for your surgery, and find out what to expect afterward. 

Joint Replacement Preoperative Class

Dominican Hospital offers in-person Total Joint Replacement classes. This class helps each patient how to best prepare for surgery, and includes planning tools and educational materials. Once your surgery is scheduled, the Orthopedic Nurse Navigator will contact you to schedule you for the class which is held every Tuesday.

The videos below provide information for patients scheduled for surgery, but anyone considering joint replacement surgery is encouraged to view this valuable information session. 

If you have questions about attending the pre-surgery class or need more information about your upcoming surgery please contact our Orthopedic Nurse Navigator at (831) 462-7597.

Preparing for surgery

• Introduction
• At the hospital
• Countdown to your surgery
• Taking care of yourself at home

Movement and exercises after your surgery 

• Total Hip Replacement
• Total Knee Replacement
• Total Shoulder Replacement
• Total Ankle Replacement

Preparing for Orthopedic Surgery Patient Handbook
 

Find a Doctor

Find an Orthopedic Surgeon in Santa Cruz.

Learn More About Joint Replacement At Dominican Hospital

For more information about joint replacement, please call (831) 462-7597. To find a doctor, visit our online Find a Doctor tool.

Dominican Hospital
1555 Soquel Drive
Santa Cruz, CA 95065