Total Joint Replacement Recovery

Patients generally stay in the hospital four to five days and undergo about six weeks of physical therapy after having total joint replacement surgery. Most patients regain normal movement after about three months.

The downside of total joint replacement is that regardless of the quality of the prosthesis, it is an artificial joint. If something goes wrong with that joint, it generally is going to require surgery to correct it. In most cases, however, patients can look forward to their artificial joints lasting a decade or more.