The majority of joint replacement operations are performed on patients between age 60 and 80. Replacing worn or damaged cartilage and bone helps improve mobility and reduce pain, keeping older adults independent for longer.
With joint pain or stiffness, you may move less, need assistance with daily tasks or use pain medication and a mobility device to get through life. Joint replacement helps restore movement, makes walking easier and can manage degenerative conditions like arthritis.
Yet recovery can be a long road, as you relearn how to walk and move with the artificial joint. If you’re making plans for a joint replacement procedure, here’s what to expect.
What Is Joint Replacement Surgery?
Age, trauma and inflammatory conditions can cause the cushioning between your bones to wear out. With age, you may find that your joints no longer move like they used to and you experience more pain.
Joint replacement surgery, often involving highly mobile joints like the knee, hip or shoulder, removes damaged tissue and puts a prosthesis made of metal, plastic or ceramic in its place.
Two types of joint replacement procedures are performed:
- Partial Replacement: For highly worn joints that are still functional, the damaged area is removed and artificial components inserted to preserve full range of motion.
- Total Replacement: Due to pervasive damage affecting how the joint moves, all bones and cartilage are removed and the adjacent bone shaved down. An artificial joint and cushioning to mimic cartilage are inserted and secured to the center of the remaining bone.
Artificial joints are designed to provide up to 20 years of use.
Why Is Joint Replacement Necessary?
While an injury or sudden trauma can permanently damage the joints at any age, older adults may be steered toward joint replacement surgery if:
- Mobility issues impact your life. For example, you struggle to walk, climb stairs, sit up in bed or stand up from a chair without experiencing pain or gait issues.
- Arthritis has progressed. You’re in constant pain or the cartilage has all worn away.
- Age or an inflammatory condition. You have stiff or swollen joints that severely limit your mobility.
What to Expect During Joint Replacement
Based on the incision site, you will be given general or regional anesthesia. The surgeon will:
- Remove worn or damaged bone and cartilage
- Shape the adjacent bones for the new joint
- Insert the new joint or joint components and spacers for cushioning
Most patients go home later that same day but you may have to stay overnight to monitor potential complications, including:
- Infection
- Nerve damage
- Pain
- Blot clotting
- Scar tissue
- A stiff or hyper-mobile joint
What to Expect During Recovery
For the average patient, full recovery from joint replacement surgery takes roughly one full year. During that time, physical therapy helps you relearn to move, practice using your joint and ease inflammation.
This stage of your treatment starts in the hospital, with a physical therapist examining your current range of motion, including how well you can hold the affected limb in a straight, fixed position.
From the hospital to a short-term rehabilitation facility, you should follow the surgeon’s instructions, which typically entail:
- Icing the joint multiple times a day
- Taking pain medication, to reduce swelling
- Keeping the joint elevated to manage fluid and support circulation
- Checking for signs of infection
- Performing recovery exercises to strengthen the surrounding muscles
- Working on your overall mobility with the guidance of a physical therapist
Following the initial assessment, you will:
- Learn how to use a mobility device
- Practice various activities of daily living
- Relearn how to walk, climb stairs, get in and out of bed, sit down in or sit up from a chair and get in and out of a car with your new joint
For a general timeline, you will attend physical therapy multiple times a week for about a month. Two to three months after the procedure, you should be able to perform low to moderate-impact activities, like golfing or riding a bike.
Additional Considerations
Preparation is the cornerstone of a successful recovery. Ahead of your procedure:
- Know how you will get home or make plans to stay at a short-term rehab facility
- Make home modifications to eliminate trip hazards and make daily tasks easier
- Have a plan for cooking and maintaining your home in the weeks following surgery
- Purchase your preferred type of mobility device
West Hartford Health & Rehabilitation Center can help with surgery recovery and get you back to independent living. To learn more about short-term rehabilitation after a joint replacement, contact us today.
