The decision to proceed with hip or knee replacement surgery is made after consultation with your orthopedic surgeon. In mild to moderate cases of osteoarthritis, nonoperative treatment options will usually be prescribed. When these nonoperative treatments fail to alleviate your pain, and your function is decreasing, then surgical options may be considered.

When contemplating surgical treatment, you want to ask how comfortable your surgeon is with this procedure and how many of these cases he or she performs a year. Studies have shown that surgeons and hospitals performing higher volumes of a particular procedure tend to have fewer complications. There are different surgical approaches to hip and knee replacement and you should ask your surgeon which they prefer. There are several options regarding implants and methods of fixation, and again, these are questions you should review with your surgeon.

Hip and knee replacement surgery usually takes 1-2 hours to complete. Hospital stays can range from one to four days, depending on several different factors. Patients generally use crutches or a walker for 1-2 weeks after surgery and then when comfortable progress to a cane.

Results vary, but in general we anticipate 90% of the implants will still be functioning at 15 years after hip or knee replacement surgery. Longer survivorship is possible but is influenced by the patient's weight and activity, surgical technique, and implant characteristics.

While the thought of surgery can be both frightening and intimidating, a well done joint replacement procedure can be highly successful with regard to pain relief and restoration of function. In general, 90% of patients are happy with their outcomes.

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Knee Replacement
Hip Replacement