After hip and knee replacement surgery comes a lengthy recovery. This recovery will be filled with ups and downs and triumphs and failures—all of which will spark a host of questions. Although everyone’s recovery is different, there are frequently asked questions that we hear time and time again.

We asked patients (like you) for their most pressing questions in joint replacement recovery. Two leading orthopedic surgeons: Dr. Trevor North, MD from Cleveland Clinic Michigan and Dr. John Tiberi of Kerlan Jobe in the Los Angeles area took time to answer each question.

Watch the “Ask a Surgeon” video answers to your FAQ about hip and knee replacement recovery.

Outpatient knee replacement surgery—what will it look like? Is total knee replacement outpatient? What can I expect during my 24 hour (or less) stay at an outpatient center? How is same-day joint surgery different from regular, inpatient surgery? These questions are all common for patients awaiting or considering an outpatient knee replacement.

Knowing what to expect on surgery day for any surgery allows you to feel better prepared and reduces stress and anxiety. This is especially true for an outpatient knee replacement as it is less common and there are fewer accounts of what the procedure actually entails.

What is an outpatient knee replacement? An outpatient knee replacement, also called a “same-day knee replacement” means that the entire procedure and hospital stay lasts less than 24 hours.

Anesthesia for hip or knee replacement surgery is a hot topic for several reasons. For one, patients are usually recommended either general or regional anesthesia. It’s up to you to gather as much information as possible to really understand your preference. Secondly, the thought of anesthesia can be nerve-wracking. Everyone has heard horror stories about anesthesia (whether fictional or not) that can make the idea of “going under” scary.

In reality, anesthesia is very safe but there is a lot of information patients should sift through and be aware of. Read on as we keep this post short and sweet and touch on what goes into choosing the right anesthetic for your joint replacement surgery; break down the differences in anesthesia types; and talk the pros and cons of each method.

In Southern California and considering an outpatient hip or knee replacement? We’ve compiled a list of outpatient surgery centers in Southern California that offer partial and total joint replacements. Whether you’re in the Los Angeles area or as far south as Chula Vista, our outpatient hip and knee replacement listings recognize same-day joint replacement facilities near you.

Read on for a listing of same-day orthopaedic surgery centers across Southern California!

Poway Surgery Center

Poway Surgery Center, located in Poway, California (San Diego County) is an affiliate of Amsurg. Amsurg is one of the largest outpatient surgery companies in the US.

When it comes to planning your joint replacement surgery, there are a lot of moving parts and decisions to be made. For many, one of the major decisions is choosing the right surgeon to perform their hip or knee replacement. Although many end up going with the orthopaedic surgeon recommended by their primary physician, more and more patients are playing an active role in finding the man or woman who’ll implant their new joint.

As we’ve said before, we truly believe that knowledge is power. Doing some digging on a prospective surgeon is performing due diligence that we recommend all patients carry out.

Whether you consider your surgery scar a badge of honour, a marker of your new life, or something to be self-conscious about, this new addition may take some getting used to. For some, the adjustment to a “scarred life” is easy while others mourn the loss of their unmarked body. We hope that all joint replacement recipients can come to appreciate their scars and all that they represent.

Read on as discuss talk scar size, breakdown the different scars for hip and knee replacements, look at the scar healing process, and share tips on healing faster.

Incision Size

When it comes to the topic of surgery scars, nothing is discussed more than “size”.

Patients only retain 5% of the material covered in video or slideshow lectures

If you think about the way your pre-op class is run, chances are it looks something like this: bring in a group of patients, provide light refreshments and hit “play” on a DVD or talk through dense slides written by clinicians. In other words, in all likelihood your class is run in a way that fails to engage patients and teach them the game-changing information they need for a successful surgery.

By doing a few simple things, your joint replacement or specialty program can reap the full rewards of a patient pre-op class.

Recently, we spoke with Mani, a hypnotherapist and author. Mani has written an award-winning memoir as well as a book entitled “Journey from Anxiety to Freedom”. Mani describes this book as a “self-revelation” and “how-to-guide” for overcoming anxiety.

Anyone who has faced the unknown of surgery knows that the journey leading up to “due day” is emotionally taxing at best and debilitating at worst. We thought it’d be fascinating to hear from Mani, an anxiety expert and practicing therapist, on how she overcame her own pre-surgery stress and to learn what advice she’d share with others preparing for a hip or knee replacement.