Risks of Total Joint Surgery

• Safe - 90-95% complication free
• Reliable - relieves pain in 90-95% of people
• Complications
  • Blood clots (DVT/PE)
  • Recurrent dislocations
  • Leg length discrepancy
  • Persistent pain, limp, stiffness
  • Fractures
  • Heterotopic bone formation (bone islands in the - muscles around the operated hip)
  • Bursitis
  • Medical complications
• Catastrophic complications do occur
  • Death
  • Infection
  • Nerve damage and paralysis
  • Need for permanent excision of the joint

Complications are an inevitable reality of any surgical procedure. Fortunately, total joint surgery is a safe operation and 90 to 95% of patients recover without significant problems. The list of possible complications is quite long (the above list is not complete), but it does not mean that they happen often. The risk of a serious complication, which would lead to a persistent problem with significant life-long implications and a disability, should be less than 1%.