Plain-language guides and surgeon videos
Compare the different operations, their pros and cons and recovery times, watch surgeons explain them, and find hip and knee surgeons in your state.
Not sure where to start? Try one of these questions:
Knee
The worn ends of the thigh and shin bones are replaced with metal and plastic parts.
Pros, cons & recovery âOnly the worn part of the knee is replaced, keeping healthy bone and ligaments.
Pros, cons & recovery âA computer-guided robotic arm helps the surgeon plan and make the bone cuts.
Pros, cons & recovery âA torn ACL is replaced with a graft taken from your own tendon or a donor.
Pros, cons & recovery âA torn meniscus is either stitched back together or trimmed with keyhole surgery.
Pros, cons & recovery âKeyhole surgery with a tiny camera, used for some tears and loose pieces in the knee.
Pros, cons & recovery âThe bone is cut and realigned to shift weight away from the worn side of the knee.
Pros, cons & recovery âRedoing a hip or knee replacement that has worn out, loosened or become infected.
Pros, cons & recovery âHip
The worn ball and socket of the hip are replaced with artificial parts.
Pros, cons & recovery âThe ball of the hip is capped with metal instead of being removed.
Pros, cons & recovery âKeyhole surgery for labral tears and hip impingement (FAI).
Pros, cons & recovery âRedoing a hip or knee replacement that has worn out, loosened or become infected.
Pros, cons & recovery âBefore you decide
Exercise, physical therapy and weight loss help many people with hip and knee arthritis, and guidelines recommend them before surgery.
Directory
Surgeons listed A to Z from public records, never ranked. Surgeons who publish educational videos are marked so you can hear them explain their approach.