Health – Thomas Schmalzried

As a joint replacement expert, Thomas Schmalzried, MD, has been the Medical Director of the Joint Replacement Institute in Los Angeles since 2008. Thomas Schmalzried, MD, is an award-winning orthopedic surgeon who has made significant basic science and clinical research contributions to the field. Among his other honors, Thomas Schmalzried, MD, is a member of both the Hip Society and Knee Society, a distinction he shares with fewer than 50 other professionals in the country.

The number of orthopedic surgeons specializing in joint replacement per capita in America is decreasing, which is creating pressure on the profession as a whole. With a diminishing workforce, it’s becoming more difficult to meet the joint replacement demand of a growing aging population. The increase in the number of patients needing care can result in a reduction in the amount of time doctors can allocate to each patient. This issue is exacerbated by the increased documentation of electronic health record regulation, often taking time away from physician-patient interaction.

Thomas Schmalzried, MD is an orthopedic surgeon and medical researcher with decades of experience studying and performing hip and knee arthroplasty procedures. Thomas Schmalzried, MD has received numerous awards throughout his career and has helped a great many patients with joint disorders.

In the 1860s, Themistocles Gluck developed a variety of endoprostheses using ivory which he used to perform the first documented total wrist arthroplasty and several knee arthroplasties. It would be almost 100 years until the introduction of the Walldius hinge joint, a descendant of which is still used today. It was a more modern approach to a joint replacement but suffered from early failure in the initial iterations.

During the 1960s, pioneering British orthopedic surgeon John Charnley created a total hip replacement procedure with materials that inspired modern total knee replacement surgery. While studying in England, Frank Gunston designed an unhinged knee joint prosthesis that replaced both sides of the joint with separate condylar components. Subsequent developments led to the total condylar resurfacing, metal-on-polyethylene designs in use today.

Modern-day joint prosthetics continue to improve. New and better materials are used, surgical planning and implantation is more precise, and functional capability has increased.

Category: Health

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