“Eventually you’ll need a replacement.” It’s one of the most common things people with chronic joint pain hear — about a knee, a hip, a shoulder. Replacement surgery is sometimes the right answer. But it’s worth understanding that for a great many patients, it isn’t the only answer, and it doesn’t have to be the first one.
What joint replacement actually involves
Replacement (arthroplasty) removes the damaged joint surfaces and substitutes metal-and-plastic components. It can be life-changing for the right patient — but it’s major surgery: general anesthesia, a large incision, a hospital stay, weeks to months of rehabilitation, and a permanent implant that itself can wear over time.
The case for preserving the joint
Much chronic joint pain comes not from the structure being beyond use, but from the sensory nerves around an arthritic joint firing constant pain signals. If you can quiet those nerves, you can relieve the pain — without removing anything.
That’s the principle behind joint-preserving treatment. Rather than replacing the joint, it addresses the source of the pain while keeping your natural anatomy intact.
How Deuk Plasma Rhizotomy fits in
Deuk Plasma Rhizotomy® is a minimally invasive, outpatient procedure that uses plasma energy — delivered through a single 4mm opening under twilight sedation — to destroy the nerves carrying pain from an arthritic joint. It’s used in the knee, hip, shoulder, ankle, and beyond. There’s no implant, no general anesthesia, and most patients return to normal activity the next day.
For people who want to avoid — or delay — a major operation, or who haven’t gotten relief from a previous replacement, it offers a real alternative.
How to know which option is right
The honest answer depends on your specific joint and imaging. Some joints genuinely need reconstruction; many don’t. At Deuk Joint Institute, Dr. Ara Deukmedjian personally reviews every MRI for free and gives a straight answer about whether a joint-preserving approach can work for you.
Learn how Deuk Plasma Rhizotomy works or submit your MRI for a free review.
