It’s especially common to have anxiety for joint replacement if it’s your first surgery, says William Macaulay, MD, Orthopedic Surgeon at NYU Langone Health. This may be your first time under anesthesia or your first time being admitted to the hospital. “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.” “Any surgery can be anxiety-producing for patients. It is important that you have a support system in place to help manage that anxiety,” says Ann Marie Moynihan, RN, Director of Nursing at NYU Langone Health. Find out more about knee replacement surgery and hip replacement surgery.
Ann 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,
William Macaulay, MD, is an Orthopedic Surgeon at NYU Langone Health in New York City.
References
Aalders, M. B., et al. (2025). Anxiety and depression symptoms are associated with inferior outcomes in patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty: A prospective cohort study. The Journal of Arthroplasty.
Bager, C. L., et al. (2019). Incidence of total hip and total knee replacements from the prospective epidemiologic risk factor study: Considerations for event driven clinical trial design. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders.
Harmer, J. R., et al. (2023). Depression and anxiety are associated with an increased risk of infection, revision, and reoperation following total hip or knee arthroplasty. The Bone & Joint Journal.
Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care. (2022). Surgery: Learn more — What can help relieve anxiety before surgery? InformedHealth.org.
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