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Get Back to Enjoying the Activities You Love.

Joint Replacement

Explore joint replacement options.

If you and your medical provider decide joint replacement surgery is your best option, you'll meet with the board-certified orthopedic specialists at Novant Health to come up with a treatment and recovery plan based on your specific needs.

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Acute and chronic joint issues

If you have an acute joint injury, you may be referred to one of our board-certified joint specialists. Specially trained in treating joint issues, we’ll will listen to your concerns and work with you to create a plan of action to best treat you.

Our orthopedic experts can also help you if you have an ongoing joint condition that has worsened over time. We’ll discuss your options and select the treatment that can help get you back to your typical day-to-day activities. Treating a chronic joint issue is more involved than an acute injury, often but not always, requiring surgery. Discuss with your surgeon what non-invasive procedures are available in addition to surgical options.

Nonsurgical interventions

If your joint condition or injury isn't severe, your orthopedic care team at Novant Health may recommend a treatment plan that begins with non-surgical solutions. We offer a variety of effective treatment options, including physical therapy, occupational therapy, massage therapy and pain management programs.

Arthroscopy or arthroplasty

If non-invasive treatment options aren't providing the outcome you want, ask your orthopedic surgeon about arthroscopy, a minimally invasive surgical procedure. This technique involves inserting an arthroscope through an incision to give your surgeon a real-time image of the joint. Arthroscopy is typically used for joint repair or resurfacing and sometimes for total joint replacement.

Another option to discuss with your surgical team is arthroplasty, also referred to as joint replacement surgery. Because this procedure is more invasive than an arthroscopy, you can expect your recovery time to be longer, often a month or more in total.

Robotic surgery: Mako and CORI surgical systems

If you and your team have decided a partial or total joint replacement is your best option for your knee or hip pain, your surgeon may perform surgery using robotic-assisted technology. This option lets your surgeon perform your surgery with smaller incisions and more precision, which can mean shorter recovery times and better outcomes.

We use two advanced surgical systems to perform partial or total knee and hip replacements.

The CORI Surgical System uses an infrared tracking system to create a 3D model of your joint to help your surgeon create an individualized surgical plan and choose the best implant before starting the procedure. During surgery, the system helps your surgeon accurately place the implant based on your unique anatomy.

The Mako system uses a CT scan of your affected side taken before surgery to generate an interactive 3D model of your joint. Your surgeon uses the scan to assess the joint from all angles and map out the entire procedure before starting. During surgery, the system provides real-time feedback to allow your surgeon to make adjustments as needed.

Get the Facts on Joint Replacement

Joint Replacement Guide

If you and your medical provider decide total joint replacement surgery could be the best route, we’re here to help you understand what's involved from treatment to recovery. Our helpful guide answers some of the most frequently asked questions we've received over years of performing tens of thousands of joint replacement procedures.

In this guide, you'll learn:

If you're a candidate for joint replacement
How to prepare for surgery
What to expect from surgery
Potential complications
Recovery and rehabilitation
Long-term results

Download Our Joint Replacement Guide

Joint Replacement Webinar

If you're considering joint replacement surgery, our comprehensive on-demand webinar shares what to expect before, during and after your procedure and how to prepare for it. Invite your loved ones to view it with you so they can understand what's involved and support you throughout the process.

Dr. Charles Craven - Total Joint Experience.mp4

Outpatient Joint Replacement

Using advanced technology and less invasive techniques like robot-assisted surgery enables you to receive procedures with local anesthesia and sedation. This means, without complications, you could go home the same day.

Benefits of minimally invasive surgery include:

Less post-operative pain
Faster recovery times
Less trauma to soft tissue around the surgical site
Less scarring
Lower risk of complications

Inpatient Joint Replacement

Sometimes inpatient surgery is the safest and most practical option for your joint replacement procedure, particularly if you have more than one medical condition. Your care team will provide information about what to expect during and after your surgery.

Our compassionate orthopedic team will assist and support you throughout the process. After surgery, your rehabilitation will begin in the hospital and continue at home or in an inpatient rehabilitation center.

Sports medicine and joint replacement

No matter your activity level, the orthopedic specialists at Novant Health have one goal — to get you back to enjoying the activities you love so you can live your life to the fullest. Your care team will discuss your available options, and together you'll determine whether therapy or a surgical procedure makes the best sense for you.

Treatment for knee conditions

Knee injuries our specialists treat include:

ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) tears and sprains
PCL (posterior cruciate ligament) and MCL (medial collateral ligament) sprains and tears
Tears in your knee cartilage (torn meniscus)
Knee fractures and sprains
Knee dislocations (patella subluxations)
Rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis and septic arthritis
IT band injury (iliotibial band syndrome)
Knee inflammation (bursitis and tendonitis)
A cyst behind your knee (Baker's cyst)

Treatment for hip conditions

Hip injuries our specialists treat include:

Broken hips and hip fractures (proximal femur fractures)
Dislocations
Tears in the tissue on your hip socket
Decayed bone tissue in your hip
Hip dysplasia
IT band injury
Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis
Hip strains or sprains
Swelling and tenderness in your hip (bursitis)
Snapping hip syndrome