Medically Reviewed by Patrick K. Denton, MD

Traveling to a foreign country. Eating unfamiliar food. Having your hip or knee joint replaced. The “unknown” in anything can create anxiety. To help reduce your anxiety about total joint replacement, McLeod Orthopedic Surgeon Patrick Denton explains what you can expect.

Here are some key points from Dr. Denton’s video:

• Knee joint replacement surgery takes about an hour.
• Patients can have either general or spinal anesthesia; most patients want to be totally asleep
• An incision is in the front of the knee.
• The worn-out bone segments on the top of the tibia bone in the lower leg and bottom of the femur bone in the top of the leg are replaced with metal/plastic implants.
• There’s a one- or two-day hospital stay.
• Physical therapy starts in the hospital with the patient using a walker. It continues at the patient’s home and with outpatient therapy at a rehabilitation center for several weeks.
• Hip joint replacement is similar with a 4-5 inch incision.
• The ball and socket of the hip joint are replaced.
• The patient is up and putting weight on the hip the day of surgery.
• Rehab continues at home, then at an outpatient rehab center.
• Total recovery time is 6-8 weeks, depending on the patient’s overall age, health and physical fitness going into the surgery.

Here are some other articles you may find useful:

Managing Pain While You Recover From Total Joint Replacement

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