What are the risks of hip/knee replacement surgery, and how can I prevent them?
All surgeries carry risks—some can be prevented, and others can’t. Many are short-term conditions that will resolve in the long term. There are several risks of joint replacement surgery. The main risks include fracture during the procedure, nerve injury in the joint and leg, change in length of the operated leg, infection, blood clots in the legs which can travel to the lungs, anesthesia complications, wound healing problems, strokes and other flare-ups of new or pre-existing medical conditions. The most important things you can do to help prevent complications are to follow all of your surgeon’s instructions before and after surgery, have a thorough medical check-up by your family doctor before surgery, tell your surgeon your complete medical history (don’t assume that anything is ‘not important’-let your surgeon make that decision), and communicate any health change or symptom to your surgeon and his health care team after surgery—don’t ignore any new or flared-up health symptom.
