Are you considering joint replacement surgery? Several myths surround joint replacement surgery. Knowing that much of what you’ve heard isn’t true should put you more at ease going into your joint replacement surgery.

Here are a dozen myths that are mostly false.

1. You should be over the age of 60 before you have a joint replacement. Age is only one factor in deciding whether you’re ready for a knee or hip replacement. If you have a degenerative disease, had a disease during childhood that affected your joints, or were an athlete, you may need a joint replacement before age 50 or even younger. You don’t have to tolerate joint pain or live with immobility. One of the experienced joint replacement surgeons in Jacksonville, FL, can help you decide if the time is right for you to have a knee or hip replacement.
2. Joint replacement surgery will cause you to lose your hair. The surgery does not cause hair loss, but a traumatic event like surgery, the medication you take after surgery, and the stress you are under may trigger hair loss. Your hair will grow back.
3. You can’t have sex after joint replacement surgery. There’s a little truth to this myth—sex should be avoided for 2 to 3 weeks after the surgery.
4. You may not need to undergo strength training before joint replacement surgery. The fitter you are going into surgery, the smoother the procedure should go and the faster your recovery should be.
5. You can’t wear high heels after joint replacement surgery. After 2 to 3 months of recovery, you can bring back the high heels.
6. The longer you delay joint replacement, the better results you’ll have. Waiting may risk further damage to your bone and cartilage and prolong your recovery from surgery. Experienced joint replacement surgeons can advise you on when the time is right for your surgery.
7. Recovery from joint replacement surgery takes a long time. The recovery time for joint replacement surgery ranges from 3 to 6 months. Hospital stays usually don’t exceed a week, and you should be able to drive within 6 weeks.
8. Joint replacements last 10 years. You can expect a new joint to last 15 to 20 years or even longer.
9. The metal from the artificial joints is harmful to the body. Some of the metal from the artificial joint will be absorbed into your bloodstream, but the level of metal is not harmful.
10. You won’t be able to go up and down stairs. A physical therapist will make sure you’re able to climb stairs after your surgery.
11. You’ll not be able to kneel after joint replacement surgery. It may feel strange when you kneel because you’ll be putting pressure on your replacement parts, but kneeling won’t harm your knee replacement.
12. You won’t be able to exercise or play sports again. You may not be able to run a marathon, but you should have no trouble playing golf, walking, or riding a bicycle.