Knee implants and hip replacements are common medical devices. In fact, CNN reports that around 700,000 people receive knee replacements each year in the U.S. and another 400,000 receive hip replacements.
Joint replacements promise to restore lost mobility and reduce pain, swelling, and inflammation. But for many patients, they create the problems they’re supposed to correct. That’s because some joint replacements can feature defective or failure-prone designs before they’re even implanted inside patients’ bodies. After surgery, patients may experience severe side effects that can result in disability and even life-threatening complications.
There are a few ways to tell if your knee or hip replacement is failing, such as:
- Sudden pain or instability—Many patients initially experience an improvement in their pain and mobility, only for those symptoms to return after months or years. That’s often due to their joint replacements failing because of poor design or low-quality components.
- Infection at or around implant site—Keep a close watch on the skin near the area where your joint implant was placed inside your body. If the skin looks red, swollen, or inflamed, it may be indicative of an internal infection that could threaten your overall health.
- Failure to improve—If your joint replacement never improves your mobility or quality of life, it may be due to its defective nature. Some implants that are associated with complications can be ineffective right away, and patients may experience immediate complications or no relief from their symptoms.
Ferrer Poirot Feller Daniel’s team of defective medical device lawyers is here to help if you or someone you love was harmed by joint replacement. Call us today for a free consultation.