Tips for Everyday Life and Sports With an Artificial Joint

Content: Back Home: Body posture and change of position, Stairs and other obstacles, Dressing and Undressing, Body Care, Housework and Gardening, Kneeling and Praying, Lifting, Carrying, Scar Care. Useful Aids, Incapacity for Work, Endangering of the Prosthesis: Fall, Infection. Physical Activities: a lot about different Sports, Sexuality. Motorized on the Way: Automobile Driving, Motorcycle Riding. General Tips for the "Extension of Life" of Your Prosthesis. Other FAQs: How Long Do I Have to Use the Walking Aids? How Long Does a Hip or Knee Prosthesis Last? Why Does the Opposite, Respectively the Neighboring Joint Hurt? Are My Legs of Different Length Following Surgery? How Do I Motivate Myself to Work on Me for Weeks After the Operation? Such issues and numerous other inquiries concern the patients who follow an inpatient and outpatient therapy after undergoing a prosthesis implantation (especially of an artificial hip- or knee joint). The rehabilitation measures, be it at a specialized rehabilitation clinic, an outpatient center or therapists in their practices, are not limited only to the therapeutic applications, which one experiences as a patient. It is essential instead to clarify the unanswered questions about how to deal with the new artificial joint; to adapt the everyday life thereupon; and perhaps even to initiate far-reaching changes regarding the profession, housework, gardening, hobby, leisure time, and sports. Knowing the right handling of your prosthesis, you can contribute significantly to the overall results and improve the quality of your life. From a decade-long experience and after treating thousands of patients, I can offer you assistance and practical tips for your most common questions. These will facilitate your transition to a happy, uncomplicated life with your new joint. This book is a practical guide and does not replace the consultation with your doctor or your therapist.

Dr. med. Michael A. Mittler is a doctor and a health economist. Following his human medicine studies in Germany and several internships at home and abroad, he received the title Dr. med. (doctor medicinae, MD). He completed his residency in the specialty of Orthopedic and Trauma Surgery. He graduated from training programs with a particular focus on the care of the patients with prostheses. He trained further as a health economist by the means of a distance learning course. He obtained an extensive knowledge about the medical, social and occupational rehabilitation for orthopedic and trauma pathologies in the course of his appointments as a senior consultant and two times as a chief surgeon (currently at the Kaiser-Karl-Klinik Bonn/Germany). For Dr. Mittler, the emphasis on the practical aspects of his work represents a fundamental need. This motivated him to write this guide.