Begin with what matters in your day
Hip arthritis may affect sleep, walking, shoes, stairs and getting into a car in very different ways. Bring two or three examples of what has become difficult and which improvements would matter most. A pain score alone may miss the problem you most want solved.
A replacement consultation usually combines your history, examination and X-rays. Ask the surgeon to explain how those findings fit together and whether another source of pain needs consideration. The purpose is to understand why replacing the hip is likely to help the symptoms you are describing.
Ask why replacement makes sense now
A sound recommendation should address the nonsurgical options you have tried, their benefit and their limits. There is no need to describe a treatment as a failure if it helped for a while. The useful question is whether the remaining symptoms and limitations make surgery a reasonable next step for you.
Ask what is likely to happen if you wait and what would prompt a different recommendation. Discuss concerns about both proceeding and postponing. If opinions differ, ask which finding or personal priority is driving the difference rather than assuming one surgeon must be wrong.
Put techniques and technology in perspective
Approach, implant bearing and computer assistance describe different parts of the operation. Ask why the surgeon uses a particular approach in patients with anatomy and needs like yours, what its tradeoffs are, and whether it changes your restrictions. A familiar brand name is less useful than a clear explanation.
Ask what decisions are made before surgery and what might change during it. If a technology is proposed, find out what it helps the surgeon measure or execute, what evidence supports a benefit that matters to you and whether it changes cost.
Sources: AAHKS: Total Hip Replacement
Make recovery specific to your home
Ask how pain will be managed, how walking begins and what support is needed at home. Separate leaving the facility from being comfortable on stairs, driving or returning to a standing job. These are distinct milestones.
Bring a medication list and explain your medical conditions, prior blood clots, nicotine use and previous anesthesia problems. Ask which risks need attention before surgery and who coordinates with your usual physicians. If you live alone, have an upstairs bedroom or care for someone else, raise that early so discharge planning is practical.
Sources: AAHKS: Total Hip Replacement
Evaluate the surgeon and the relationship
Relevant joint-replacement training, experience with your situation and a direct conversation are useful parts of choosing a surgeon. Ask how the practice handles unexpected recovery problems and long-term follow-up. A good fit includes feeling comfortable saying that an explanation did not make sense.
Patient experiences can help you understand communication and support, but they represent individual accounts. Compare them with the consultation and your own priorities. Ask for clarification about any expected outcome that sounds too certain, especially if your main goal involves demanding sport or a complex medical history.
Explore our hip replacement physicians
Our hip and joint team includes Dr. Andrew Wassef, Dr. Prem Ramkumar and Dr. Christopher Combs. Their practices include total hip replacement; their provider pages describe their individual training and clinical focus. You can review the patient accounts below and follow the links to learn more about each physician before arranging a conversation about your hip.
Ask whether waiting would change something meaningful
The 2023 ACR/AAHKS timing guideline addresses people with substantial hip or knee arthritis who have already tried nonsurgical care and chosen replacement. It conditionally advises against delaying solely to repeat additional nonsurgical treatment, while identifying reasons to optimize health first. Those recommendations rely on low or very low quality evidence.
Ask how closely that population matches you. If delay is proposed, ask what improvement the team expects before surgery and how it will be assessed. A clear reason for waiting is easier to act on than an open-ended instruction to try everything again.
Sources: 2023 ACR/AAHKS Guideline for Optimal Timing of Elective Hip or Knee Arthroplasty
Make the approach discussion about your anatomy and surgeon
HSS explains anterior and posterior approaches and emphasizes planning and surgeon experience. An approach name can help you understand the route to the joint, but it should lead to a discussion of your anatomy, prior operations and the surgeon’s experience with comparable cases.
Ask why this approach suits your hip and what the team would do if findings require a change. Discuss the specific precautions, wound considerations and rehabilitation you will receive. Compare the quality of those explanations alongside your goals, rather than assuming one approach guarantees the same recovery for every patient.
Sources: Anterior Vs. Posterior Hip Replacement: Which Approach Is Best for You?
Make the most of your visit
Questions to bring to your consultation
Choose the questions that matter most to you. Bring them along, and ask us to explain anything that is unclear.
- Which symptoms do you expect hip replacement to improve—and which may have another cause?
- What makes surgery reasonable now, and what changes if I wait?
- Why do you recommend this approach and implant for my anatomy?
- What does computer assistance add in my case?
- What personal risks should we address before scheduling?
- What help will I need at home during the first stage?
- How will we decide when driving, work and exercise are appropriate?
- Who do I contact if recovery is not following the plan?
- If you recommend delaying surgery, what specific improvement are we waiting for?
- How does the timing guideline apply to the severity of my arthritis and prior treatment?
- Why does your proposed approach suit my anatomy and previous operations?
Sources & further reading
- AAOS OrthoInfo: Total Hip Replacement
- AAHKS: Total Hip Replacement
- AAHKS: Choosing the Right Hip Surgeon for You
- 2023 ACR/AAHKS Guideline for Optimal Timing of Elective Hip or Knee ArthroplastyAmerican College of Rheumatology and American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons · Published September 28, 2023
- Anterior Vs. Posterior Hip Replacement: Which Approach Is Best for You?Hospital for Special Surgery
We use these medical sources to help explain your options and prepare you for a conversation with our team. Our guides feature our own clinicians; patient reviews describe individual experiences.
