With the improvement of people’s living standards around the world and the progress of modern medicine, the average life expectancy of human beings is increasing year by year, and many large and medium-sized cities around the world are entering the ageing population. According to statistics, joint diseases account for half of the chronic diseases in the aging population, and osteoarthritis has become a worldwide health problem. In view of this, on January 13, 2000, the World Health Organization (WHO) headquarters announced the start of the Bone and Joint Decade Program. China, as the largest developing country, faces no less a challenge to national health and social development than developed countries in Europe and the United States. Shanghai, the largest city in China, has a high incidence of osteoarthritis in the elderly population, especially in the cold winter and spring months. Although in the early stage doctors can use conservative treatment, such as taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as Fotarine and Cilobal, or relieving the pain through physical therapy and heat application. But when the lesion is so severe that the joint is completely “broken” and the doctor thinks that conservative treatment is no longer effective, can the “broken” joint be replaced with a new one? We say yes, absolutely. Modern artificial joint replacement is the most effective treatment available. It not only significantly improves joint function and corrects deformities, but its biggest advantage is that the pain is gone. According to statistics, hundreds of thousands of artificial joint replacements are performed worldwide each year, and it has become one of the most common surgical procedures in orthopedics. The general public may not know much about artificial joints, and often think that if they have an artificial joint, they will walk like a robot, with stiff and unnatural movements. In fact, artificial joint replacement is only a matter of repairing the worn joint surface and then implanting an artificial joint to restore a normal smooth joint surface. Therefore, a successful joint replacement can restore a person to more than 90 percent of normal mobility. Former U.S. President George H. W. Bush Sr. received an artificial hip replacement at the age of 83 and successfully completed a high altitude parachute jump after surgery. At present, artificial joints have been used to treat hip, knee, shoulder, elbow, wrist, interphalangeal and ankle joints, etc. Among them, artificial hip and knee replacements are the most common and reliable, followed by shoulder joints. Elbow and ankle joint replacements are less commonly used and have average results. The design of artificial joints and the materials used have been improved through generations of scientists and physicians, and have evolved greatly to be not only more biocompatible with the human body, but also more perfectly matched. It is mostly made of metals, high-density plastics or ceramics. The types of metals, including titanium alloy, cobalt-chromium alloy and stainless steel, while the plastic material is a highly cross-linked and wear-resistant polyethylene, or replaced by ceramics with a much lower wear coefficient. To fit different types of patients, some artificial joint prostheses are fixed with bone cement, while others have a porous treatment or hydroxyapatite coating on the surface of the artificial joint, allowing the bone to bond with the joint prosthesis itself. So, which patients need artificial joint replacement? Geriatric degenerative osteoarthritis is by far the most common reason for artificial joint replacement. When arthritis is severe, the joint cartilage is severely worn and damaged, and X-rays can reveal a large number of bone spurs and even deformation, often resulting in pain, limited function and difficulty walking, which can seriously affect daily life. At this time, conservative treatment is not very effective, and artificial joint replacement is the best choice. Other conditions such as ischemic necrosis of the femoral head, ankylosing spondylitis, rheumatoid arthritis, and displaced femoral neck fractures in the elderly are all indications for prosthetic joint replacement. After artificial joint replacement, most patients will experience significant improvement in pain or even complete relief, and joint mobility will be close to that of a normal person. Will the artificial joint last a lifetime? Patients often ask their doctors this question. In fact, it has a life span. Generally speaking, if used normally, more than 85% of patients can use it for about 15 years. The younger, more active or heavier the patient, the more likely the artificial joint will wear out and loosen, so unless the age limit is relaxed for patients with rheumatoid arthritis or ankylosing spondylitis, doctors will try to wait until the patient is older before performing joint replacement. Patients are also encouraged to maintain an ideal body weight and avoid strenuous exercise to reduce the chance of wear and tear on the artificial joint and its future replacement. How long does it take to return to normal after an artificial joint replacement? Usually, if there are no special circumstances, the patient is encouraged to exercise the muscles of the affected limb in bed 1 day after surgery. 3-10 days after surgery, the patient is encouraged to get out of bed, practice walking with a walker or crutches, and start bedside rehabilitation exercises. If the joint prosthesis has a porous surface or a coated surface, a walker or crutches are usually required for six weeks after surgery to reduce joint weight-bearing so that the bone is firmly bonded to the artificial joint surface. If the patient is older, has more lax bones, and needs to get out of bed early, the surgeon will most often use bone cement to fix the artificial joint so that the limb can bear weight immediately after surgery and shorten the time of crutch use. Generally speaking, daily activities can gradually return to normal three months after surgery. Patients may still feel slight pain in the limb occasionally, but as long as there is no severe pain or inflammatory manifestations, there is no need to be nervous and the sensation will get better with time. Of course, there are risks associated with any surgery, so the surgeon will assess the patient’s physical condition prior to surgery to ensure that the risks of the surgery are minimized. After the surgery, the surgeon will also advise the patient on the necessary precautions, such as how to rehabilitate and exercise, and how to treat any inflammation of the caries to avoid affecting the artificial joint. In short, through the efforts of countless professionals, artificial joint replacement has become a safe and common orthopedic procedure. When your joint pain is no longer controlled by medication or other treatments, joint replacement by an experienced orthopedic surgeon will allow you to resume a normal daily life.