provider image
Welcome! You’re in GoodRx for healthcare professionals. Now, you’ll enjoy a streamlined experience created specifically for healthcare professionals.
Skip to main content
HomeHealth TopicJoint Health
02:56

Nervous About Joint Replacement Surgery? You’re Not Alone

William Macaulay, MD, and Ann Marie Moynihan, RN, explain common reasons people are nervous about joint replacement surgery.

Lauren Smith, MAAlexandra Schwarz, MD
Written by Lauren Smith, MA | Reviewed by Alexandra Schwarz, MD
Updated on December 30, 2022

It’s completely normal to be anxious before any surgical procedure. However, joint replacement surgery in particular can stir up some unique worries. Luckily, patients can likely be less nervous about joint replacement surgery by talking to their surgeon and asking more questions.

How Will It Affect My Life?

You might be in pain now, but you might worry how you’ll feel after the surgery. What if the pain is the same? What if it’s worse?

Advertisement

“Patients can be afraid to have a joint replacement just because it does affect their activities of daily living,” says Ann Marie Moynihan, RN, director of nursing at NYU Langone Health. “They can be afraid, post-operatively, not to get back the same mobility that they had pre-operatively.”

However, joint replacement surgeries are statistically some of the most successful operations. In the majority of cases, patients experience a drastic reduction in pain and stiffness in the replaced joint, according to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons. Getting in optimal health before joint replacement surgery can improve outcomes.

Fear of the Unknown

Anxiety in general often stems from fear of the unknown. As painful as a joint may currently be, the fear of the surgery and the recovery may be enough to cause fear or put off the procedure.

“At times, you'll run into certain individuals who are more anxious than others. These are usually people who have never had a procedure before, never undergone anesthesia before, never been admitted to the hospital before, never had any kind of surgical procedure,” says William Macaulay, MD, orthopedic surgeon at NYU Langone Health.

“Typically, I'll take a patient like that and give them the phone number of two or three patients just like them who had the procedure within the last few years,” says Dr. Macaulay. “That will go a long way to allay people's fears.”

Nervous About Joint Replacement Pain

Even if your joint will have less pain and better mobility after the surgery, you know you can expect pain immediately following the operation. Although this pain is temporary, it may be daunting for many people.

After hip replacement surgery, Dr. Macaulay notes that pain from the surgery typically subsides in two to three days. This recovery may take slightly longer for knee replacements.

“Typically, [knee replacement] patients have a little bit more pain and swelling around the time of surgery,” says Dr. Macaulay. “The knee is just anatomically disadvantaged from being in an area where it's not really able to swell very much.” As a result, when it inevitably swells following the surgery, it can be uncomfortable or painful.

Notably, you won’t have to tolerate the pain without any help. Pain medication can help reduce the pain safely until it naturally subsides. Additionally, you may not even need narcotics (opioids) to reduce your pain. With the breadth of pain control medication options, Dr. Macaulay notes that many of his patients are able to go home the same day.

What About Complications?

Obviously, every surgery comes with risks. As with any surgery, joint replacement comes with the risk of wound infection and blood clots. However, the vast majority of joint replacement surgeries are successful and complications are relatively rare.

“Every time someone's getting ready for joint replacement surgery, we'll have at least a short conversation about the potential complications,” says Dr. Macaulay. “Patients' fears are usually allayed by the fact that—if you add up all these different potential complications—the incidence is very low.”

How to Overcome Anxiety

“At times, patients have excessive fear or anxiety about the unknown [or] what's going to happen at the time of their hip or knee replacement surgery,” says Dr. Macaulay. “For those patients, I would highly recommend they just take the time to ask their surgeon or their surgeon's clinical team about what to expect. [There] is a lot of knowledge about this in the office, even if you didn't feel like you got all that knowledge the first time you met.”

Find out what to expect at your joint replacement surgery here, and learn more about how to overcome anxiety for joint replacement surgery here.

Additional Medical Contributors (2)
  • William Macaulay, MDWilliam Macaulay, MD, is an Orthopedic Surgeon at NYU Langone Health in New York City.
    • Ann Marie Moynihan, RNAnn Marie Moynihan, RN, served as the Director of Nursing at NYU Langone Health in New York City. She is currently the Vice President for Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer at Saint Joseph's Medical Center/St. Vincent's Hospital Westchester Division,
      GoodRx Health has strict sourcing policies and relies on primary sources such as medical organizations, governmental agencies, academic institutions, and peer-reviewed scientific journals. Learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate, thorough, and unbiased by reading our editorial guidelines.

      Was this page helpful?

      Habits for a Healthier Mind

      Sign up for our GoodRx Mental Well-being Newsletter to receive up-to-date information on the latest medications, tips, and savings that are most relevant to you.

      By providing your email, you consent to receive marketing communications from GoodRx, which may include content and/or data related to men’s health, women's health, reproductive care, or sexual health. You agree to the GoodRx Terms of Use and acknowledge the Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe at any time.