Anand Srinivasan
Sometimes ankle swelling is common after knee replacement surgery and can persist for months without elevation/compression. Pain at a high level is less common but may be secondary to "re-aligning" your leg from the knee replacement. Often, we don't realize the deformity and tightness in our arthritic knees. I would suggest that if it's getting better, continue with observation and therapy and follow up with your surgeon.

Anand Srinivasan
The anterior approach is a less invasive approach to the hip that does not incise through the largest muscles of our hip, the gluteal muscles. The recovery time tends to be shorter, although no outcome differences are noted at three months from surgery. The surgical time and risk are slightly higher in that because the hip is not dislocated and no muscle is cut, exposure is harder. At the end of the day, I would ask your surgeon how experienced they are with the approach in that a "well-done" total hip arthroplasty will provide a great outcome, regardless of approach.

Anand Srinivasan
Your new joint may set off a metal detector but with modern body scanners, generally, the TSA is aware of implants pretty quickly. You may be subject to secondary screening. Documentation generally does not help in these cases. You may want to account for 10-15 extra minutes going through security.

Anand Srinivasan
Opioid addiction is a valid concern. Generally, we would recommend seeing our pain management team (anesthesia) before surgery to determine if you can be a candidate for regional blocks and even devices that reduce the need for pain medication after surgery. Generally, we can control moderate pain with non-narcotic medication (tramadol/Tylenol/NSAIDs).

Anand Srinivasan
At 68, the chance of needing a second surgery is low assuming a good result. Hip replacements generally last 20 years with modern technology. Generally, your demand is lower as you age so even if it is "starting to fail" at 85, you may not need revision surgery.

Anand Srinivasan
PT is not required before surgery if you have good strength and range of motion. If stiff with a limited range of motion or if severely deconditioned, then therapy would be required. In general, doing a home exercise regimen a few times a week leading up to your surgery is sufficient at obtaining a good result.

Anand Srinivasan
Knee replacements are generally made from titanium, cobalt chrome and polyethylene (plastic). Hip replacements are generally made of similar materials, although a ceramic head (ball) can be used in place of a cobalt chrome ball. In general, these implants do not degrade, unless there is debris in the hip causing abrasion. Sometimes, only in hips, corrosion can occur at the taper junction but this situation is rare with all implants on the market.

Anand Srinivasan
There is a small chance that infections from the mouth can travel to your artificial hip/knee. So we advise patients to get their dental work completed before hip and knee replacement. Certainly, if you have known infections etc. in your roots, you would have to get these addressed beforehand. If you go twice a year to the dentist with no issues, generally you are in good shape and may not "need" dental clearance. It is up to the surgeon, however.

Anand Srinivasan
Great question, but the answer varies. Generally, you first have to confirm that your knee is the source of pain and quality of life concerns. Generally, injections and therapy are the mainstays of non-surgical treatment. There are some newer options in regenerative medicine that are promising but not covered by insurance. Medicines can also help with alleviating pain. But if you fail these options, generally knee replacement is the most definitive way to treat knee pain

Anand Srinivasan
For the time being, there are no new procedures that have the track record of joint replacement surgery. Also, if people have significant knee or hip disease already, it may be hard to reverse pathology. There are more advances in regenerative medicine each year, and it is possible in the future that healing and restoration of tissue may happen. Perhaps, there may be prophylactic treatment in the future, but we are at least a decade away from concrete technologies that work.