When you’re preparing for a knee replacement, one of the first questions that comes to mind is often, “How long is knee replacement surgery?” The answer is more than just a simple number. While the actual surgical procedure may last a couple of hours, the entire day involves multiple steps—each critical to ensuring a safe and successful outcome. To help you better understand what lies ahead, here’s a breakdown of the hours on surgery day.
Arrival and Pre-Operative Preparation
Your day usually begins early at the hospital or surgical center. Patients are often asked to arrive two to three hours before the scheduled surgery. During this time, the medical staff will look over your medical background, check your vital signs, and set up an IV line so that you can get fluids and medicine.
Pre-operative preparation also includes marking the surgical site, meeting with the anesthesiologist, and sometimes receiving a mild sedative to help you relax. These steps, although not part of the surgery itself, can take up to an hour or more.
Anesthesia and Operating Room Setup
Once the preparation is complete, you’ll be moved into the operating room. Administering anesthesia is the next important step. Depending on the recommendation, you may receive general anesthesia (where you are fully asleep) or spinal/epidural anesthesia (where you’re awake but numb from the waist down).
Positioning, sterilizing, and prepping the surgical site also add time to the process. All these steps ensure that when the surgery begins, everything is in place for both safety and precision.
The Surgery Itself
Now, back to the main question: how long is knee replacement surgery? On average, the procedure typically takes one to two hours. During this time, the surgeon removes the damaged portions of bone and cartilage, reshapes the joint, and secures the artificial components in place.
The length can vary depending on whether it’s a partial or total knee replacement, the complexity of your case, and if there are any unforeseen issues such as scar tissue or bone deformities. While one patient’s surgery may take just over an hour, another’s may extend closer to three.
Immediate Recovery and Monitoring
After surgery, you’ll be transferred to a recovery room. Here, the focus is on closely monitoring your breathing, heart rate, and overall response to anesthesia. You may still feel groggy or disoriented at this point. Nurses will also manage pain, administer medications, and check the surgical site.
This phase generally lasts one to two hours, depending on how quickly you stabilize and wake up.
Post-Operative Care on the Same Day
Once you’re fully awake and your vital signs are steady, you’ll either be moved to a hospital room for an overnight stay or, in some cases, discharged the same day if you had outpatient knee replacement surgery.
Before leaving, physical therapists often help you take your first steps with the new joint. Even though it might seem scary, moving around right away lowers the risk of complications and prepares the body for healing. This session might take 30 minutes to an hour.
Putting It All Together
When you add it all up—from pre-operative preparation to immediate recovery—surgery day often spans five to seven hours in total. While the procedure itself may only take a couple of hours, the supporting steps before and after surgery are just as vital to your overall outcome.
Final Thoughts
Understanding the timeline of knee replacement surgery can ease much of the anxiety patients feel before the big day. So, when someone asks, “How long is knee replacement surgery?” the answer extends beyond the time in the operating room. It’s a carefully coordinated process that takes most of the day, ensuring that every patient has the safest and most effective experience possible.
