Long-standing, substantial pain due to significant arthritis

• Substantial pain
• Months
• Significant arthritis
• No other sources of pain (referred pain)

It is important that in order to benefit from a total joint replacement the symptoms (pain) of arthritis must be substantial and long lasting. If the pain is only minimal then it is probably not worth taking the risks of the operation.

The arthritis (on x-rays) has to be at least moderately advanced. If the pain is very significant but the arthritis is only very mild on x-rays then there may be a different source of pain, so obviously doing a joint replacement is not going to help that pain!