The damage must be confirmed by x-ray. One important preferred criterion is that the patient should weigh less than 185 lbs because wear and tear depends on the weight transmitted through the joint. This operation is always a matter of choice and never an emergency. Joint replacement is not usually intended for sports or heavy labor. There can be complications, as there are with all operations, at the time of replacement or later.
Clots can form in the legs, sometimes breaking off and going to the lung.
Urinary tract infection, nausea and vomiting can occur and occasionally wound infection at the site of the operation. Rarely the leg is shorter or stiff. Even less often there is joint infection or a blood clot in the joint. A very few patients may require re-operation, but the second operation is never as good as the first one. In some patients the joint loosens.