Recovery & Support for Total Joint Implant Complications

After you’ve received treatment for a complication of joint implant surgery, NYU Langone’s team of physicians, nurses, social workers, and rehabilitation specialists offers a variety of programs and services designed to help you recover comfortably and remain active.

Physical Therapy

A complication in a joint implant may cause pain or discomfort that limits your ability to use it. Even a short period of inactivity may result in weakened muscles surrounding the joint.

Physiatrists, doctors who specialize in rehabilitation medicine, and therapists at NYU Langone’s Rusk Rehabilitation offer physical therapy. Your program is designed to rebuild muscle strength around the implanted joint, providing a built-in “brace” to support and stabilize it.

Our physical therapists and doctors specialize in working with people who have joint implants. They can teach you stretching and strength-building exercises that gradually restore a full range of motion to the joint.

Doctors recommend physical therapy for four to eight weeks after surgery before recommending additional treatment. You can have physical therapy at NYU Langone or our doctors can recommend an in-network location closer to your home.

Mind-Body Wellness

NYU Langone specialists offer a variety of integrative therapies that may ease your recuperation and enhance your sense of wellbeing. Acupuncture, acupressure, and meditation may relieve pain, speed healing, and reduce stress and anxiety. Low-impact movement therapies, including tai chi, may help you remain flexible and active.

Healthy Living

Joint implants are made of resilient, durable materials, but they’re not as strong as a natural joint. Eating nutritiously, exercising regularly, and maintaining a healthy weight can improve your results after surgery and help you remain healthy during and after recovery.

Research indicates that smoking cigarettes can inhibit healing after joint implant surgery and may increase the risk of complications. Some insurance companies won’t cover joint implant surgery unless you quit.

Our doctors know losing weight and quitting smoking is not easy, and nutritionists and counselors at NYU Langone’s Weight Management Program and Tobacco Cessation Programs offer support and tools to help you make positive lifestyle changes to improve your health for the long term.