Synovectomy Surgery Might Help Your Rheumatoid Arthritis

Your rheumatologist has treatments that may help your rheumatoid arthritis, including medications. However, if the treatments don't work, your rheumatologist might refer you to an orthopedic surgeon. Surgery can sometimes help rheumatoid arthritis. One surgical procedure your surgeon might consider is a synovectomy. Here's a look at how this surgery can help rheumatoid arthritis and how the procedure is done.

The Purpose of the Synovial Membrane

Your joints are lined by a synovial membrane, and this is where synovial fluid is produced. Synovial fluid nourishes and lubricates your joints. When you have rheumatoid arthritis, your synovial membrane becomes inflamed, and this leads to swelling around your joint and joint pain. Chronic inflammation of the synovial membrane can even lead to joint damage.

A Synovectomy Removes Damaged Synovial Tissue

A synovectomy helps joints affected by rheumatoid arthritis by removing the diseased synovial membrane. The orthopedic surgeon can remove part or all of the tissue as a treatment to reduce pain and help slow the progression of joint damage. This surgery can be done on large joints, such as the hip or knee, and it can be done on small joints in your hand.

The Surgery Might Be Minimally Invasive

Your surgeon considers the degree of joint damage you have and where the joint is located when determining whether to do open or minimally invasive surgery. If possible, the surgeon may choose to do arthroscopic surgery that utilizes tiny incisions and the use of a camera that shows the surgeon what's going on inside your joint during the procedure.

This type of arthritis surgery is often done as an outpatient using a general anesthetic. The orthopedic surgeon makes an incision and then uses surgical tools to scrape out the affected synovial tissue. Your incision is then closed and if you have outpatient surgery, you'll go home once you're awake and able to leave the clinic.

Physical Therapy Is Important For Recovery

It may take several months to recover from a synovectomy depending on the amount of tissue that was removed and the joint affected. Your orthopedic surgeon may have you start physical therapy right away since therapy is important for keeping your joints flexible and increasing your range of motion.

Once you've healed from the surgery, you'll still need to work with your rheumatologist to treat your arthritis to slow down its progression. Removing the synovial tissue can relieve your joint pain, but the tissue could grow back and become inflamed again, especially if your arthritis isn't managed to prevent it from happening.