Most people who see an orthopaedic surgeon about a hip or a knee have the same few questions. What is actually wrong with the joint? Is surgery needed, or can this be managed another way? If surgery is needed, what does the operation involve — and what will recovery really be like?
This guide answers those questions in order, across five short chapters. It is written for you to read at your own pace, before or after your consultation. Nothing here replaces a consultation about your own joint — every hip and knee is different, and so is every set of circumstances around it.
Two things are worth saying at the start.
First, most hip and knee arthritis is managed without an operation. Exercise, weight management and simple medicines help more people than surgery does. Those options are always considered first, honestly, and given a fair trial.
Second, when a joint replacement is the right choice, it is one of the most reliable operations in modern surgery. Australia keeps a national registry of every joint replacement performed here, so we can tell you — with real numbers rather than reassurance — how long these implants last and how often things go wrong.
Start with the first chapter below, or jump to the one that matches where you are.