If this is an emergency, don't use this tool — call 000 now.
Chest pain, trouble breathing, signs of stroke (face drooping, arm weakness, slurred speech),
severe bleeding, or thoughts of harming yourself: call 000 or go to your nearest
emergency department. Lifeline 13 11 14.
Surgery timing
When is the right time to ask about a knee or hip replacement?
In Australia, a joint replacement is the last step on the osteoarthritis pathway, not the first.
This free tool shows you where you sit on that pathway right now — so you know exactly what to take to your GP
to find out if you're ready. It can't tell you whether to have surgery. Only you and your treating team can decide that.
Pick a joint and how it's affecting you to start.
This tool helps you prepare — it can't tell if something is serious. If you're worried it might be urgent,
call 000 or your GP now.
Please read this before going on
Dr HB Lo · Integrative GP
Am I ready? — knee & hip replacement timing · generated · drhblo.com/tools
Where you sit
The Australian osteoarthritis pathway
›Surgery conversationthe final stage
The honest part
The honest part, both ways:
— A new joint is not a guarantee. Around 1 in 5 people still have some pain or
aren't fully satisfied after a knee replacement, and an artificial joint can wear or loosen and need a second
operation later in life. (AOA National Joint
Replacement Registry tracks how long Australian joints last — most are still working at 15 years, but not all.)
— Waiting too long has a cost too. If pain is genuinely disabling and you've done the groundwork, putting
surgery off for years can mean more lost mobility and a harder recovery. 'Wait and see' is wise early — it's not
always wise late.
Only you and your surgeon can weigh these for your life. This tool just makes sure you walk in knowing both.
Take it with you
Email yourself the one-page 'Am I ready?' checklist to take to your GP — your
pathway position, the five steps, and the exact questions to ask about timing.
Where this goes next
This is the general timing map. The full Knee & Hip Decision Kit works through your
exact situation — the BRAN questions for the surgery conversation, what the real
recovery looks like month by month, and how to read what your surgeon tells you about the numbers.
General information to help you prepare for a conversation with your doctor. Not medical advice, and not an
emergency service. It can't tell you whether to have surgery — only you and your treating team can decide that.
In an emergency call 000. · Sources: ACSQHC Osteoarthritis of the Knee Clinical Care Standard 2024; myOA /
Osteoarthritis Australia; AOA National Joint Replacement Registry; healthdirect.