What You Can Expect If You Need Joint Replacement

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Good evening everyone, do you need some type of joint replacement-such as a knee, elbow or hip, but aren’t sure of what to expect? Fox2 speaks with a local orthopedic surgeon to understand the surgery, its risks and the recovery process.

A hip or knee replacement usually the time in the hospital is around three or four days. People come into the hospital the day of surgery, the surgery itself takes around an hour and a half to two hours, depending on how complex the problem is. During surgery, Doctors remove the damaged cartilage and replace it with a metal and plastic joint. Procedure risks include blood clots and infection.

But hospital recovery time is typically short.

“Depending on the persons stage and age, people are usually able to leave the hospital on the third or fourth day,” says Dr. Rick Bassett Valley Baptist Orthopedic Surgeon

Dr. Bassett says extra help performing daily tasks is needed in the beginning. Some patients have the help of family or stay at assisted therapy care facilities.

Recovery takes anywhere from 5 to 8 weeks or longer. Many patients use a walker and cane to get around.

Everybody continues to improve though as they regain strength. People many times by the time they require a replacement have been out of access so to speak for a long period of time so they’ve lost a great deal of strength, you know anywhere from 20 to 50 percent of their power,” says Dr. Bassett.

Dr. Bassett explains hip and knee replacements have improved drastically over the past 50 years with quicker recovery time and a satisfaction rate of 90 to 95 percent.

Reporting on health matters, I’m Lyssa Hansen.