It is an operation designed to replace your worn out joints with a new prosthetic joint. The joint surfaces are resurfaced to accept prosthetic components with a high density polyethylene to allow painfree movement.

When you cannot do your daily routine work in a painfree manner or your joint space on xrays has been diminished to an extent that there is nearly bone on bone picture it is the right time to get new joints. Any delay will decrease your chances of good recovery and also can cause further bone damage and overloading of other joints. We however believe that no artificial joint can truly replace the natural healthy joint. But when the joint gets damaged joint replacement becomes a necessity.

All the activities which you have been doing 5-6 months before joint damage can be resumed after the joint surgery. However you are advised not to squat, sit crosslegged on ground or use Indian toilet. This can cause abnormal stresses on joints and cause early loosening or dislocation of the joint. As your muscle strength increases with exercises and physiotherapy you can increase your physical activity further.

A variety of joints are available in the market. Best is to go with a reputed company of long standing and also use a model for which long term results are available. You can also go with upcoming technologies with promising results such as computer navigation and robotics in joint replacement. Cemented as well as uncemented joints are available and are used according to patient requirement and surgical indications.

Since it is an elective surgery you should plan at least a week in advance. You need to have preoperative blood workup and routine cardiac and other preanaesthetic checkup done before surgery. Also you need to monitor your blood pressure, sugar and modify any blood thinner dosage as advised by your physician before surgery.

You need to be admitted a day prior to surgery. After the surgery it takes about 2-4 days to resume your normal activites depending on type of surgery and you can be discharged after that.

Like any surgical procedure there are approximately < 5% chances of any immediate or delayed complications depending on complexity of case. Joint specific complications include risk of infection, dislocation, deep vein thrombosis or fracture etc. With proper planning and patient precautions chances of developing complications can be minimised.

The better the quality of the joint and surgical technique better are the chances of its survival. But like any machinery it also need to be maintained by maintaing a good exercise regime, precautions and yearly/ 2 yearly doctor supervision. We have seen well functioning joints with 10 to 20 years of follow up also.

Normally it takes around 2-3 weeks for stitch removal and around 3-4 weeks to resume independent household activities. Recovery is also dependent on patient muscle strength, exercise program, motivation and preoperative functional status of the patient. Most of the patients recover faster than expected and are able to return to their profession or working in 4-6 weeks. Physiotherapy is required till this point and also a regular daily self exercise routine is advised for future also.

Sexual activity is not recommended for the first 4-6 weeks after the surgery. After that there are modified positions with precautions that need to be followed. It can be discussed with your doctor or physiotherapist especially in hip replacement cases.

Normally after discharge you need to come after 4-5 days for a dressing and at 15-20 days after surgery for stitch removal. Biweekly or monthly followup is required till 3 months after surgery till you regain your complete function. After that annual or once in two years xrays and follow up are preferably required.

If there is sudden high grade fever with pain,redness, swelling, numbness or any discharge near the joint area you should immediately consult your doctor.

Toggle CoJoint replacement has become very common and is one of the most succesful and rewarding surgery of the current century. Recent advances in metallurgy and designs combined with minimally invasive surgical techniques have decreased the recovery time and increased the longevity and function of hip and knee joint replacement.ntent