Postoperative management of total joint replacements

Total joint replacement has been one of the major breakthroughs in the field of orthopedics during the past 25 years. Performance of these procedures has enabled many severely disabled individuals to resume a virtually normal way of life. Unlike many other operative procedures, however, the ultimate success of total joint replacement depends not only on the surgery itself, but on appropriate preoperative planning and postoperative management. This does not end when the patient leaves the hospital but should be made a part of the patient's way of life forever. With an appropriate postoperative routine, the average patient can expect many years of satisfactory use of his or her total joint. A realistic approach must be adopted and certain simple restrictions and limitations must be clearly borne in mind. The patient must be conscious of the fact that although the artificial joint causes little or no pain and functions extremely well, it is, in fact, an artificial joint and not a normal joint. In simple terms he or she must be instructed to use it, not abuse it.