Rehab Select Blog

Returning to an active lifestyle after joint replacement surgery is an important benchmark of recovery, and the vast majority of patients for whom these procedures have become necessary are eager to reach that point. After all, many have seen slow joint deterioration and progressively worsening pain over several years that gradually limited activities, and these procedures hold the promise of restoring quality-of-life lost to that process.

If you have had joint replacement surgery or are in the process of planning a procedure with your medical team, there is no doubt that you'll be hoping to recover as quickly as possible. After all, the whole point of having a joint replaced or repaired is to regain function, mobility, and independence – to get back on your feet and back to a healthy, active life.

If chronic, debilitating hip pain or an injury has made hip replacement necessary for you, now is the time to learn a bit about joint replacement surgery. Understanding the process you'll go through in having that new, artificial hip joint put in and the recovery and rehabilitation period afterwards is important – both in terms of making solid health care decisions and easing stress throughout that process.

The bundled payment initiative for joint replacement surgeries was set to begin on April 1, 2016. This initiative, finalized by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in November, 2015, is known as the Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (CJR) model and will affect, as of its start date, approximately 800 hospitals that deliver care to Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries for hip and knee replacements and/or other major leg procedures. Here we'll get into the basic details that patients and caregivers will need to know about this initiative.

If joint replacement surgery is in the cards for you, chances are you'll have a lot of questions about your upcoming procedure – and that's a good thing. Learning as much as you can about the procedure – including how to best prepare for surgery, what you can expect during your procedure, and the challenges you can expect to face during recovery and rehabilitation – can ease your mind as the process moves forward. To help you along, here are 3 things to know before you go in for joint replacement surgery.

Osteoporosis is a condition that results in the weakening of an individual's bones. Typically, this occurs in the latter stages of life. Those that have osteoporosis have a higher risk of experiencing a bone fracture. In fact, because their bones are weakened, there's a chance that they may damage one of their joints – knee, wrist, and hip fractures are some of the more common osteoporosis-related injuries, which often necessitates joint replacement surgery.

Orthopedic rehab begins almost immediately after surgery to repair a hip fracture. Some patients will spend from 4 days to a week or longer in the hospital after hip replacement. Although complete recovery is very gradual and can take a year or more, patients are encouraged to sit up in a chair just a few hours after surgery. For maximum improvement, patients must maintain focus and faithfully devote their energy to the rehab program designed especially for them.

You've probably heard that hip replacement surgery is one of the best decisions many adults with chronic hip pain have ever made. Even as they were experiencing recovery, they noticed a reduction or absence of pain, and that alone made them feel like a new person!

Joint replacement surgery offers patients a number of life-changing benefits. However, as they recover, these patients often need their family members and friends to assist them in accomplishing their daily tasks, providing transportation to and from doctors' appointments, and most of all, giving much needed encouragement throughout the healing process.

If you have recently had joint replacement therapy, or such a surgery is in your near future, you may be wondering if you're still going to be able to enjoy time with your family and friends as you recover. After all, no matter how much we look forward to all that comes with having kids and grandkids over to visit, it can still be tiring and challenging – even under the best of circumstances.