What to expect from the process [of joint replacement]?

I recently read a post online from a 70-year-old recipient of a total knee replacement (TKR). Part of the post was ‘this has been the worst experience of my life, nothing has gone really wrong but the pain and pills and depression all have gotten to me'. This sounds like a very negative comment, however, this could be a result of not managing patient expectations when it comes to joint replacement surgery. Here are just a few points to think about.

• It is a marathon recovery: Recovering from a joint replacement surgery takes time and effort. You should try and stay positive throughout the process of healing. Remind yourself that you underwent a major surgical operation. You should be patient with your body to heal.
• The process of healing: After a major surgery like total joint replacement, you could be advised to maintain quite an active lifestyle and keep using your new implanted joint for a quicker recovery. At the same time, your body would use all your energy to heal your bones and the surrounding soft tissue. This would result in feeling tired and finding yourself sleeping more than usual. It is important to keep the balance there.
• Commitment to overall health: If you expect to have your hip or knee replaced and after a short period of time go back to normal (or go back to how your body was in your 20s), that is not realistic thinking. The pain in your joint would eventually improve but it takes work and commitment to your overall health and wellbeing. It doesn’t happen overnight.
• It takes work: What I mean by that is, patients cannot go back to their routines after operation. You should allocate time at home to ‘maintaining your new joint’. Besides the scheduled physical therapy sessions which would help with regaining your range of motion, you must take exercising at home seriously. This would help strengthen your muscles and help reduce the pain in your new joint.