How Do I Decide When I Should Get Joint Surgery For Rheumatoid Arthritis?

— -- Question: How do I decide when I should get joint surgery for rheumatoid arthritis? (If I wait too long, will it be less effective?)

Answer: Joint surgery for rheumatoid arthritis is really reserved for patients with end-stage disease. So if you have a lot of pain and swelling, the first thing you're going to do is really treat the rheumatoid arthritis. However, some patients even despite that treatment will go on to develop end-stage disease. Joint arthroplasty or joint surgery is reserved for those patients who are not treatable by medical therapy. You don't want to have a joint surgery too early since it is likely that an arthroplasty will need to be revised in 10 or sometimes more years. By the same token you don't want to wait too long because of the pain associated with an end-stage joint. You're going to want to work very closely with your physicians and your orthopedic surgeon to determine the right timing for you.

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