With modern materials and surgical techniques, your knee or hip joint replacement is likely to last 10 to 20 years – or even your entire life.

Some people do need to redo the joint replacement.  Several causes can require this so-called revision surgery:

• Wear and tear can loosen the metal, ceramic or plastic pieces. Younger patients Younger patients are more active and tend to wear out their replacements faster. Obese patients put more strain on the total joint replacements, causing a higher degree of wear and loosening.
• Infection – as the body fights bacteria that settle on the relatively large surfaces of the implant. The possibility of this appears to be about 0.5%.
• Dislocation is a possible complication in less than 2% of hip replacement patients.
• Obviously, a fracture of the bone on or near the implant can require new surgery.
• Occasionally, joints are subject to a product recall.  Several years ago, metal-on-metal joints were recalled after it was discovered that they were throwing off metal particles.

Don’t be too fast to ask for revision surgery.

“I’ll often advise patients to proceed with caution,” says McLeod Orthopedic Specialist Rodney Alan, MD. “If you have a well functioning implant, leave it alone – even if it has been recalled.

“It’s not like a recall on your car, where someone changes a seat belt or airbag,” says Dr. Alan. “Revision requires going back into surgery, going all the way down to the hip (or knee) through scar tissue, muscle and bone. As long as it is working well for you and you are not experiencing pain or limited mobility, don’t jump into surgery.”

DON’T RUSH, BUT DON’T DELAY – IF YOU NEED IT

While you don’t want to rush into a second joint replacement surgery, don’t delay in talking with your Orthopedic Specialist about an implant that’s not working properly or is causing you pain.  A poorly performing joint replacement can cause additional wear and even damage to the surrounding bone, making eventual repair more difficult.

Find an Orthopedic Specialist near you. 

Sources include:  McLeod Health, National Institutes of Health, Arthritis Research (UK), American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, Arthritis Foundation, Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery