From stiff hips to sore shoulders, St. Mary's orthopedic experts use leading-edge techniques to provide welcome relief for your joint pain.  St. Mary's Medical Center is well known in the community for the excellent total joint replacement surgical outcomes that it achieves.  Follow-up studies of our hip and knee replacement surgeries show a 98% success rate after 15 years.

You will receive personalized care for your joint surgery. The process begins with education through free classes offered by a Registered Nurse. This will prepare you for both the surgical experience and for your recovery at home. Topics covered include home safety, nutrition and pain management.

After surgery you will be cared for in a dedicated orthopedic unit with other patients who have recently had total joint surgery.  Highly experienced, certified physical therapists will help you mobilize your replacement joint twice a day. St. Mary's also performs total shoulder replacement surgeries.        

The following are some of the landmarks in our achievements in quality care:

• St. Mary's staff was among the first in the nation to perform joint replacement surgery, beginning with hip replacements in 1970. To date, we have performed more than 6,000 hip, knee, shoulder and elbow joint replacements.
• St. Mary's was the first Bay Area hospital to use ultrasound to remove old cement from previous joint replacements that needed to be revised.
• Surgeons have developed two types of hip replacements that are used nation-wide.