BOSTON -- According to the Arthritis Foundation, one out of every three Americans suffers from arthritis or chronic joint pain, and many are under 50 years old.

NewsCenter 5's Heather Unruh reported Thursday that full joint replacement isn't always the best option for younger patients who will likely outlive their artificial joint. Now a new, less-invasive treatment is helping arthritis sufferers of all ages keep moving.

Three years ago Rita Vega fell and broke her shoulder while holding her son, Alex. After a year of physical therapy, she had limited range of motion and a lot of pain.

"I was in constant pain 24 hours a day. I couldn't pick up Alex. I'd pick him up and try not to show the pain I was in," Vega said.

Shoulder replacement surgery was an option, but at just 38 years old, Rita felt it wasn't the best choice.

"It might take me to 12 years, well when you're in your 30s, you don't want to have surgery again that soon, so to me shoulder replacement was not the way I wanted to go," Vega said.

Massachusetts General Hospital orthopedic surgeon Dr. Thomas Holovacs recommended a new technique called Arthrosurfacing.

"The recovery time is shorter. The immediate pain is less than a typical shoulder replacement. You're not removing as much bone," Holovacs said.

Arthrosurfacing is similar to full shoulder replacement, but it uses smaller caps to cover the shoulder joint, allowing doctors to customize the fit to each patient. Holovacs compares it to filling a cavity instead of removing the whole tooth.

"The real benefit is not the immediate. It's the long term, and because you've restored their normal anatomy it gives them a more normal joint, which gives them less pain. It gives them better function, and because it's more normal it makes it last a lot longer," Holovacs said.

"I'm actually throwing Alex the ball. It's the most incredible thing to get your life back," Vega said.

Arthrosurfacing is currently available for shoulder, hip, toe and partial knee joints. Full knee joint arthrosurfacing may soon be available. It is currently awaiting FDA approval.