A New Approach to Joint Replacement Rehabilitation
Midwest Regional’s Joint Club is a three to four day program designed for people in need of hip or knee replacement. Because we understand that many of our orthopedic patients aren’t sick, they just have a bad hip or knee, our Joint Club program is designed to focus on wellness, group rehabilitation exercises and involvement of family and friends.

Features of the Joint Club program include:

• Nurses and therapists who specialize in the care of total joint replacement patients
• Dedicated Unit of 7 beds
• Pre-operative education classes
• Individual care as well as group therapy
• Family and friends are educated to participate as “coaches” in the recovery process
• A comprehensive patient guide notebook so you can track your progress pre-op through discharge from the hospital to home

Group Care Approach in a Relaxed Atmosphere
Joint Club removes the mystery from joint-replacement surgery by enabling small groups of patients to go through the process together – from pre-surgical education and surgery, to recovery, rehabilitation and discharge.

One week prior to surgery, patients, or Club Members, attend an orientation to learn more about the procedure and what will occur during their hospital stay.  Club Members are admitted for surgery on a Monday or Tuesday, and group rehabilitation begins the day after surgery is completed. Club members are typically discharged on Thursday or Friday.

A unique feature of the Joint Club is that each patient has a rehabilitative coach, usually a family member or friend, who attends the pre-surgery education session and helps the patient through rehab. Club Members and their coaches will participate in group therapy sessions twice a day and will dine together for lunch in the group therapy room renamed the Club House. Support of the “coach” makes therapy more enjoyable, and the group camaraderie adds fun and competitiveness to the environment.

Joint Club is located on the 6th floor of the hospital where general surgery and other orthopedic surgery patients stay. A block of seven rooms has been dedicated to this program and some modifications have made to provide Club Members a more comfortable environment. Colorful beach posters are in the rooms, the Club House is decorated in a tropical theme, and each patient room has been named after a tropical vacation spot. Club Members are even encouraged to wear their own clothes after surgery instead of hospital gowns to make them more comfortable. Another unique feature for Joint Club Members is dedicated nursing staff. This means that their nursing staff will not be in and out of rooms of other types of patients.

The Joint Club’s multidisciplinary team includes surgeons, surgical technicians, anesthesiologists, nursing staff, physical therapists, occupational therapists, dieticians, case managers, home health and a Joint Club Coordinator.

Returning to Your Active Lifestyle
The goal of Joint Club is to increase patients’ mobility after surgery and to improve clinical outcomes and the total joint replacement experience. By participating in Joint Club, patients resume normal functions quicker and their hospital stays are shorter – by an average of 2 days.

Why is the Joint Club Experience So Successful?
Club Members have reduced anxiety going into surgery, they are supported by their “coach”, and rehabilitation is more extensive. Typically Joint Club patients will be doing more the first day following surgery than most patients do on the day of discharge. More importantly, Club Members will be better able to take care of themselves and their new joint once they go home.

Who can participate in Joint Club?
Individuals who wish to participate in Joint Club must meet the following criteria:

• Scheduled to have a Hip Arthroplasty, Knee Arthroplasty or Unicompartmental Knee Replacement procedure on a Monday or Tuesday.
• Able to follow directions.
• Must have been able to ambulate (walk) prior to surgery.
• Willing to participate in group therapy and group activities.

Midwest Regional Medical Center is pleased to have the following Orthopedic Surgeons participate in Joint Club:

•  Alan Cornett, D.O.              405-733-4948
• Jeff Duncan, D.O.                405-737-2474
• Christopher Jordan, M.D.   405-732-7777
• B. Ashwin Kumar, M.D.       405-737-0535
• George Matook, M.D.           405-737-3491
• Paul R. Miller, M.D.,              405-737-2486
• Todd Olsen, D.O.                  405-733-8000

For more information about Joint Club, call 610-8764.