Know before you go
A before-surgery worksheet for knee, hip or shoulder replacement. Mark what your team has already told you and what is ready at home. You get two short lists to print: questions for your surgeon, and things still to do.
How this works, and its limits.
- It runs in your browser. Nothing you mark is sent anywhere. If you press “Keep on this device”, your marks are saved in this browser only, and “Clear” deletes them.
- These are questions to have answered, not advice. The right answer for you comes from your own surgeon and team.
- The items come from the AAOS OrthoInfo and NIH MedlinePlus pages listed at the bottom (checked 2026-09-29).
JointClass · jointclass.com/ready · Know before you go
Your sheet
After surgery, call your surgeon's office for a fever higher than 101°F (38.3°C) or the number your team gives you, swelling or pain in the calf, redness, swelling or yellowish drainage at the incision, blood soaking through the dressing, or pain the medicine does not help. Chest pain or trouble breathing: call 911. (MedlinePlus, checked 2026-09-29.)
If you feel in crisis or are thinking about suicide, call or text 988.
If you feel in crisis or are thinking about suicide, call or text 988.
Next
Sources (opened and checked 2026-09-29)
- AAOS OrthoInfo: Preparing for Joint Replacement Surgery (questions to ask, medicine list, blood thinners, smoking, dental work, skin checks, home setup, hospital bag).
- AAOS OrthoInfo: Total Joint Replacement, Questions Patients Should Ask Their Surgeon.
- AAOS OrthoInfo: Shoulder Joint Replacement (sling, button-front shirt).
- NIH MedlinePlus: Getting your home ready, knee or hip surgery (one floor, bed height, reach).
- NIH MedlinePlus: Knee joint replacement, discharge (when to call the doctor).