Hip and knee replacement surgery involve replacing the worn-out bone and cartilage lining your hip or knee joint with new implants that are composed of materials such as ceramic, metal and plastic. The materials used for hip and knee replacements are quite similar.

This video shows a hip replacement surgery where the surgeon uses the mini-posterior approach – accessing the joint from the back of the hip. You will see what takes place before, during and after surgery.

This video shows a hip replacement surgery where the surgeon uses the anterior approach – accessing the joint from the front of the hip. You will see what takes place before, during and after surgery.

During knee replacement surgery, damaged bone and cartilage is resurfaced with metal and plastic components. In unicompartmental knee replacement (also called "partial" knee replacement) only a portion of the knee is resurfaced. This procedure is an alternative to total knee replacement for patients whose disease is limited to just one area of the knee.

You might be considering having your surgery outside of your home community. Whether traveling outside of the United States or within the United States for medical care, it’s best to discuss your options with your surgeon.

You may be worried about traveling in the first months following surgery. One concern is sitting in a car or airplane seat for long stretches of time and the risk of forming a blood clot in your leg – also known as deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Several studies have shown that, if appropriate measures are taken, it is safe to travel soon after your joint replacement without an increased risk of developing a blood clot for most patients.

Arthroplasty means the surgical repair of a joint. Orthopaedic surgeons performing an arthroplasty use metal and/or plastic parts to reconstruct degenerative, damaged, or arthritic joint surfaces in patients with severe arthritis who have failed nonsurgical treatment and have disabling function, limitation of activities of daily living, and severe pain.