The decision to go ahead with surgery should be made together with your surgeon, and only after you understand as much about your procedure as possible. You should know what is going to happen to you, why you need the procedure, and what the risks are.
Here are some questions you may wish to ask your surgeon.
- Why do I need to have hip or knee replacement surgery?
- What are the risks or complications with having hip or knee replacement surgery?
- What is the success rate and recovery time for joint replacement surgery?
- How long will my new hip or knee last?
- Can I get both joints done at once?
- If I don’t do anything, what is likely to happen?
- How long will I have to wait for surgery?
- When can I go back to work?
- How much can I expect to improve as a result of having this surgery?
- What can I take for pain?