Food is pleasure. Food is fun. Food is fuel. What we eat on a day to day basis often becomes so intertwined with our habits, lifestyle and likes or dislikes that it becomes difficult to think of food as fuel. However, in the process of healing the body—whether it be from injury, arthritis or surgery—it’s important to think of food as more than just something you eat. Like medicine, food has very real healing properties that can make recovery faster, easier, and even safer.

With an elective surgery like a hip replacement or knee replacement, you have an amazing opportunity to use PreHab to get your health in check before putting your body through additional stress.

A diet that boosts your immune system, promotes healing, is rich in antioxidants and has anti-inflammatory properties will not just prepare you for surgery, but shows that recovery begins before surgery.

The full version of this article is available PeerWell--a PreHab app that helps you prepare for and recover faster from joint replacement surgery.

A major reason for putting off a hip or knee replacement replacement can be summed up in one word: fear. Fear of the unknown. Fear of pain. Fear of recovery. Fear of being vulnerable. For some, this fear can be crippling, causing additional stress and anxiety in the months, weeks, and days leading up to the procedure. What joint replacement candidates often don’t realize is that this untempered fear or anxiety can actually negatively affect the outcome of surgery.

In saying this, your mind is your biggest ally going into surgery. Your body and mind are very powerful machines--resilient and built for healing. Read on as we discuss the idea of “mindfulness” and share how you can pull the plug on negative thought patterns to set yourself up for success.

What is mindfulness? It’s the practice of bringing one's attention to the internal and external experiences occurring in the present moment.

The full version of this article is available PeerWell--a PreHab app that helps you prepare for and recover faster from joint replacement surgery.

If you’re living with diabetes, you know better than anyone that your rulebook for general health is different than most. To add another layer to your health management puzzle, chances are you’ve found this post because you’re a diabetic preparing for a hip replacement or knee replacement or are trying to decide when the right time for a joint replacement is. With this, know that joint replacement surgery is one of the most successful procedures in all of modern medicine and that you have the power to further reduce your risk factors.

What you do in the weeks leading up to your hip replacement or knee replacement will have a huge impact on your surgery results and recovery time. This is especially true for those with pre-existing conditions like diabetes. Taking action before surgery in a results-driven program is called “PreHab”.
Read on as we talk about how diabetes can affect joint replacement surgery, examine surgical complications for those with diabetes, and offer some prehab diet suggestions to optimize your health before due day.

The full version of this article is available PeerWell--a PreHab app that helps you prepare for and recover faster from joint replacement surgery.

Let’s face it, the unknown of an upcoming knee replacement is scary. What is involved in a total knee replacement? What are my options? What decisions do I need to make beforehand? We think knowledge is power, so read on and get better informed about your upcoming knee replacement surgery.

Arriving at the point of requiring knee replacement surgery is becoming more common than ever before. Every year, greater numbers of Americans—young and old—are undergoing knee replacement surgery. In fact, the CDC reported a record high of 719,000 total knee replacements last year alone. This figure does not include partial knee replacements which are estimated to account for an additional 5-10% more surgeries.

These figures also don’t represent the enormous short and long-term success of the knee surgery. According to numerous studies, the patient satisfaction rate for a total knee replacement is among the highest of any orthopaedic procedure, sitting between the 80-90+% mark. Additionally, 10 years after surgery, 90-95% of implants are still fully functional.

The full version of this article is available PeerWell--a PreHab app that helps you prepare for and recover faster from joint replacement surgery.

Discussing sex in any amount of detail with a medical professional can be uncomfortable. So much so, it can take mature adults right back to that “sinking in chair” feeling from junior high sex-ed class. Take the topic of sex and add it to the fact that you’ll be undergoing surgery, are in pain, and have likely endured limited mobility for some time, and the topic becomes even more overwhelming. For these reasons, we’ve decided to put together this no-holds-barred post on all things post-op sex. With the guidance of orthopaedic surgeons, Dr. Nima Mehran and Dr. Trevor North, we’ll walk you through some FAQ, break down safe positions for men and women after their replacements, and encourage some Q and A (doctor advised) in our comments section.

Let’s dive in, shall we?

But before we do, it’s worth sharing that majority of patients report that their sex lives improved dramatically after having a hip or knee replacement. In fact, according to a controlled study put out by a group of New York physicians measuring patient sex lives after joint replacement surgery:

• 42% of post-op patients reported an improvement in libido
• 36% of patients reported increased intercourse duration
• 41% of patients reported increased intercourse frequency
• 55% had improved sexual self-image
• 84% had improvement in general well-being
• 90% patients had improved overall sexual function (with a higher rate of improvement for total hip replacement patients).

The full version of this article is available PeerWell--a PreHab app that helps you prepare for and recover faster from joint replacement surgery.

We crunched hundreds of data points to uncover a list of the best hospitals for hip and knee replacement surgery in the country. Selecting just one hospital per state, each chosen medical center excels in one or more measurable category, while matching or outperforming the national average in most, if not all, categories.

In selecting the best hospital for hip and knee replacement surgery per state, we focused on the quality of care, rate of infection and complications as they pertain to the specific procedure.

Having joint replacement surgery? Join PeerWell's free PreHab program to improve your results and recover faster.

For those considering a hip replacement or knee replacement, pain is an unfortunate reality that often becomes the driver for scheduling joint replacement surgery. However, the road that stretches from joint discomfort all the way to “I can’t take it anymore” pre-surgery pain is long and complicated. Throughout this journey, you’ll likely try various treatments to keep pain from rearing its ugly head. However, not all pain treatments are created equal. Some doctor-prescribed pain medications, while they may temporarily close the door on pain, can open up a door you never expected: addiction.