Orthopedic questions and answers
Plain answers to questions patients and parents ask about bones, joints and muscles, based on published research. General information, not medical advice. Each answer is reviewed and edited by Babak Sheikh, MD.
The questions are grouped by topic below. If you can’t find yours, press Ctrl+F (Windows) or Command+F (Mac) and type a word such as “swelling”, “driving” or “scoliosis”.
Jump to: Arthritis: do I need surgery? · Knee replacement: before surgery · Knee replacement: after surgery · Hip replacement: before surgery · Hip replacement: after surgery · Children and teens
About · Disclaimer and how these answers are made
Arthritis: do I need surgery?
- My X-ray looks terrible but my knee doesn’t hurt much. Do I need a replacement?
- Is it better to have my knee replaced sooner, before it gets bad?
- What are the alternatives to a knee replacement?
- Do I really have to exercise for my arthritis?
- Does running ruin your knees?
Knee replacement: before surgery
Can I have a knee replacement?
- Am I too old for a knee replacement?
- Can I have a knee replacement if I am overweight, or do I have to lose weight first?
- Does my blood sugar or A1c affect my knee replacement?
- Do I need to stop my Ozempic-type drug before my knee replacement?
- Do I have to stop smoking before a knee replacement? What about marijuana?
- I’m allergic to nickel. Can I still have a knee replacement?
- Should I get a cortisone shot in my knee if I am having a knee replacement soon?
- Can I have a knee replacement if I had a gel injection in that knee before surgery?
- Can I have a knee replacement if I had a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection in that knee before surgery?
Choosing the operation
- How long will my knee replacement last?
- Is a partial knee replacement as good as a total knee replacement?
- Is a robotic knee replacement better?
- What is the best knee replacement implant?
- Cemented or cementless: does it matter for my knee replacement?
- Should my kneecap be resurfaced during my knee replacement?
- Is it safe to have both knees replaced at the same time?
- Is the second knee replacement easier or harder than the first?
- Does it matter how many knee replacements my surgeon or hospital does?
- Is it safe to have a knee replacement as outpatient surgery and go home the same day?
- Should I have spinal or general anesthesia for my knee replacement?
- Can anesthesia affect my memory after a knee replacement?
Getting ready for surgery
- Does exercising before a knee replacement make recovery easier?
- How likely is an infection after a knee replacement?
- My nasal swab came back positive for MRSA before surgery. What does that mean?
Knee replacement: after surgery
The first weeks after surgery
- How long does it take to recover from a knee replacement?
- How long will I need strong pain pills after my knee replacement, and can I get hooked?
- Besides pain pills, what actually helps pain after a knee replacement?
- Is aspirin enough to prevent blood clots after a knee replacement?
- Is an ice machine worth it after my knee replacement?
- Do I need a bending machine (CPM) after my knee replacement?
- Do I have to do the physical therapy after my knee replacement, or can I just do it at home?
- Why do I feel down after my knee replacement?
- Can anesthesia affect my memory after a knee replacement?
- When can I drive after my knee replacement?
- Is it safe to fly after my knee replacement?
- When can I go back to work after a knee replacement?
Is this normal?
- How long does the swelling last after a knee replacement?
- After my knee replacement, the skin around my knee is numb. Will it go away, and does it mean something is wrong?
- Why does my knee replacement hurt more at night?
- My knee replacement still feels warm months later. Is that infection?
- My knee replacement won’t bend enough. What happens now?
- My knee replacement clicks. Is something loose?
- My knee replacement feels unstable or gives way. Is it loose?
- Why does my ankle hurt since my knee replacement?
- Why does my knee replacement ache when the weather changes?
- Will my knee pain ever go away after a knee replacement?
- My knee replacement looks ugly on the X-ray. Does it need to be redone?
- Why does my knee replacement hurt years later?
Everyday life and sports
- After a knee replacement, will I be able to do everything I could before, including sports, stairs and getting up from a chair?
- Can I kneel after my knee replacement?
- Can I run after my knee replacement?
- Do I need antibiotics before dental work after my knee replacement?
Hip replacement: before surgery
- Is an anterior hip replacement better than a posterior one?
- Should I have spinal or general anesthesia for my hip replacement?
- Should I get a cortisone shot in my hip if I am having a hip replacement soon?
- Will I need a blood transfusion after my hip replacement?
- How likely is an infection after a hip replacement, and what does my surgeon do to lower it?
- My nasal swab came back positive for MRSA before surgery. What does that mean?
Hip replacement: after surgery
The first weeks after surgery
- Do I really have to follow hip precautions after my hip replacement?
- When can I sleep on my side after my hip replacement?
- When can I have sex after my hip replacement?
- When can I drive after a hip replacement?
- Can I fly after a hip replacement?
Is this normal?
- Why do I still limp after my hip replacement, and will it go away?
- My leg feels longer since my hip replacement. Will that feeling go away, or is my leg actually longer?
- Why does my hip replacement still hurt a year or more after surgery?
- What is heterotopic ossification after hip replacement, and should I worry about it?
Everyday life and sports
- Can I sit on the floor, squat, or use a low toilet after my hip replacement?
- Which sports are OK after a hip replacement?
- Can I run after a hip replacement?
- Do I need antibiotics before dental work after my hip replacement?
Children and teens
Training, growth and returning to sport
- Can kids lift weights? Does it stunt growth?
- Should my child play only one sport, and how much sport is too much?
- My teenager has lost a lot of weight from sports or dieting. Can it hurt their bones and muscles?
- Why do girls tear the ACL more than boys, and can it be prevented?
- My teenager had ACL surgery. When can they play sports again?
Sports pain and injuries
- Is my child’s twisted ankle a sprain or a growth plate fracture, and does it need an X-ray?
- Could my child have a stress fracture if the X-ray was normal?
- Are my child’s leg pains growing pains, an overuse injury, or something serious?
- Can my child keep playing sports with Osgood-Schlatter?
- Can my child keep playing sports with Sever’s disease?
- My teenager has pain around the kneecap. Will it go away?
- My teenager’s kneecap dislocated. Will it happen again?
- My teenager has knee pain and a limp. Could it be the hip?
- Is my young gymnast’s wrist pain serious?
- My child’s foot or ankle hurts from dance. Is it too much training?
Back and posture
- My child’s one shoulder is higher than the other. Is it scoliosis?
- My teenager has a hunched back. Is it just bad posture?
- How heavy should my child’s backpack be, and can it cause back pain or scoliosis?
- Could my young gymnast’s or dancer’s back pain be a stress fracture?
- Can a brace, a chiropractor or massage fix scoliosis?
- My teenager needs scoliosis surgery. What should we expect?