What to look for after an artificial joint replacement

  After surgery, functional training of the joint should be carried out under the guidance of the surgeon in order to achieve better function of the replaced joint as soon as possible, as the functional recovery of the knee joint is generally slower.  For cemented joints, weight-bearing is usually allowed immediately after surgery, while for uncemented joints, stronger fixation can be obtained only after three months of surgery, so full weight-bearing should be achieved after three months of surgery. After proper training, the replaced artificial joint can generally achieve satisfactory pain relief, weight bearing, walking, and movement in all directions to meet the needs of daily life and improve the quality of life.  However, because of the limited life span of the artificial implant material, strenuous activities should be avoided after surgery in order to delay the arrival of complications such as loosening and fracture of the prosthesis and to maximize the life span of the artificial joint. After arthroplasty, the range of motion of the joint is generally less than that of a normal joint. After artificial hip replacement, avoid squatting, sitting on a low bench or sofa, sitting cross-legged or crossing your legs to avoid dislocation of the artificial hip joint.  At present, the service life of artificial hip and knee joints is generally considered to be 8-20 years. After artificial joint replacement, the implantation of prosthetic materials, the difference in elastic modulus of different materials, as well as the difference in the shape and placement direction of the prosthesis and the operation technique can cause such problems as local pain, prosthesis loosening (prosthesis loosening increases year by year with postoperative time), wear and tear, fracture, joint stiffness, postoperative fracture, dislocation Local complications such as local pain, loosening of the prosthesis (which increases over the years), wear, fracture, stiffness, postoperative fracture, dislocation, poor positioning, deep infection, and often the need for a second revision.  Revision arthroplasty is a procedure in which a loose or fractured end-of-life prosthesis is removed and reinserted into a new artificial joint. It is a more complex and costly procedure, and one that requires a more skilled and clinically experienced specialist. Currently, the results of prosthetic joint revision are much worse than those of initial replacement, with reduced service life and increased complications.  For this reason, long-term follow-up examinations should be performed after artificial joint replacement, generally every 3 months for the first year after surgery and every 1-2 years thereafter. This is to detect possible complications as early as possible and to actively take preventive measures to prolong the life of the artificial joint. Pain is often the earliest manifestation of various complications, so early medical attention should be sought when localized intractable pain occurs after surgery.  In addition, there may be systemic complications such as deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism in the lower extremities after surgery.