Joint replacement surgery removes the damaged surfaces of a joint and replaces them with artificial components made of metal, ceramic or medical-grade plastic. This page covers the knee, hip and shoulder, which are treated for advanced arthritis, fractures and joint damage, with the aim of relieving pain and restoring movement and function.
The operation is usually performed under general or spinal anaesthesia with sedation. The surgeon opens the joint through an incision, removes the damaged bone and cartilage, and fixes the implant with bone cement or in a way that lets the bone grow onto it. The approach and instruments differ for each joint, and stability and movement are checked before the wound is closed.
Surgery typically lasts one to three hours, depending on the joint. Physiotherapy starts early, and many patients stand with assistance within a day or two, while regaining full function takes weeks to months. The final result usually appears about six months to a year after surgery.
The final cost is set after a medical consultant reviews your case and photos.
Dr. Humam Baki is an orthopedic and traumatology specialist based in Istanbul, Turkey. He graduated from Eskişehir Osmangazi University Faculty of Medicine and specialized in orthopedics. With over 15 years of clinical experience, he focuses on advanced orthopedic procedures and modern surgical techniques. His expertise includes limb lengthening, spine surgery, joint replacement, and sports injury treatment. Dr. Baki is committed to improving patient mobility and quality of life through personalized care and innovative treatments.
Professor Ahmet Doğan is a highly distinguished Orthopedic Surgeon with over 25 years of extensive clinical experience. He graduated from Uludağ University Faculty of Medicine in 1993 and specialized at Istanbul Training and Research Hospital in 2001. His primary expertise lies in Pediatric Orthopedics, Trauma Surgery, Prosthetic Surgery, and Hand Surgery. Throughout his career, he has successfully treated complex musculoskeletal disorders and trauma-related injuries in both adults and children. Currently, he provides advanced surgical care at his private clinic located in Ataköy Towers, Istan...
Prof. Dr. Süleyman Semih Dedeoğlu is an orthopedic surgeon at Liv Hospital Vadistanbul and İstinye University (since 2024). A graduate of Istanbul University Cerrahpaşa Faculty of Medicine (2005), he trained in orthopedics at Bezmialem Vakıf University and was a research fellow at the Rothman Institute, Thomas Jefferson University (2015). He was chief physician of Baltalimanı Bone Diseases Hospital (2021-2024) and focuses on sports injuries, shoulder and elbow surgery and joint replacement.
Prof. Dr. Bülent Erol is an orthopaedic surgeon at Medical Park Göztepe and Pendik hospitals. A 1994 Hacettepe University medical graduate, he earned his orthopaedics PhD at Marmara University (2002), where he rose to full professor in 2016. He was a research clinical fellow at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and a clinical visitor in orthopaedic oncology at the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital. He treats bone tumours, bone infections, paediatric deformities and joint replacement cases.
Prof. Dr. Emrah Kovalak is an orthopaedic and trauma surgeon at BHT Clinic Istanbul Tema Hospital. He studied medicine at Ankara University and specialised at the Dışkapı Yıldırım Beyazıt hospital. He has held posts at Istanbul Training and Research Hospital, Süleyman Demirel University, Biruni University and Başakşehir Çam and Sakura City Hospital. His focus is knee and hip arthritis, primary and revision knee and hip replacement, trauma, arthroscopy and regenerative treatments.
Prof. Dr. Ata Can Atalar is an orthopedic surgeon at the Orthopedics & Joint Center of Acibadem Maslak Hospital, with Acibadem since 2013. A 1995 graduate of Istanbul University Istanbul Faculty of Medicine, he trained there in orthopedics and traumatology (2001), received a SECEC/ESSSE shoulder and elbow scholarship in 2003 and became professor in 2016. He specializes in shoulder and elbow surgery, arthroscopy, sports injuries and orthopedic trauma.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Alper Köksal is an orthopedic surgeon at Liv Hospital Topkapı. He graduated from Istanbul University Cerrahpaşa Faculty of Medicine (2005) and trained at Metin Sabancı Baltalimanı Bone Diseases Training and Research Hospital (2005-2010), where he later worked from 2018 and became associate professor in 2023. He focuses on primary and revision hip and knee replacement, orthopedic trauma, sports injuries and degenerative joint disease.
Prof. Dr. Ahmet Alanay is an orthopedic spine surgeon at the Orthopedics & Joint Center of Acibadem Maslak Hospital, with Acibadem since 2012. A 1988 graduate of Ankara University, he trained in orthopedics at Hacettepe University, did a spinal deformity fellowship at the University of Kansas and was a visiting professor at UCLA. He serves on the editorial boards of Spine, Spine Deformity, JBJS Reviews and the European Spine Journal. He treats scoliosis, kyphosis and spinal fractures.
Prof. Dr. Javad Parvizi, FRCS, is an orthopedic surgeon at Acibadem Maslak Hospital, where he co-founded the International Joint Center in 2024, and Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at Acibadem University. Trained at Sheffield, Mayo Clinic and Bern, he spent 20 years at the Rothman Institute in Philadelphia and was 33rd President of the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons. He focuses on hip and knee replacement, revision surgery and joint infection.
Prof. Dr. Barış Kocaoğlu is an orthopedic surgeon at Acibadem Altunizade Hospital, with Acibadem since 2005, specialising in sports injuries, shoulder and elbow and foot and ankle surgery. A 1999 graduate of Hacettepe University, he trained at Marmara University and completed a sports medicine fellowship at the University of Iowa. He is a member of the Turkish Basketball Federation medical board and doctor of the Turkish men's national basketball team.
Prof. Dr. Levent Eralp is an orthopedic surgeon at Acibadem Maslak Hospital specialising in orthopedic oncology, limb lengthening and complex limb reconstruction, foot and ankle surgery and joint replacement. A 1991 graduate of Istanbul University, he was professor there from 2009, and trained in oncologic orthopedics in Kanazawa, Japan, on a SICOT scholarship and in bone infections in Atlanta. He is an honorary member of Brazilian ASAMI.
Prof. Dr. Ömer Faruk Taşer is an orthopedic surgeon at Acibadem Fulya Hospital, with Acibadem since 2002, focusing on knee and hip replacement, robotic surgery and sports injuries. He trained at Istanbul University and in Hamburg, and became professor there in 1996. He was President of the Turkish Society of Orthopedics and Traumatology (2005-2007), headed the medical committees of Fenerbahçe and the Turkish Football Federation, and is Fenerbahçe's orthopedic consultant.
Prof. Dr. Aziz Kaya Alturfan is an orthopedic surgeon at Acibadem Fulya Hospital, with Acibadem since 2014 and more than 55 years in medicine. A 1969 Istanbul University graduate, he specialised in orthopedics there in 1975 and has chaired the Department of Orthopedics at the Çapa (Istanbul) Faculty of Medicine. He worked in Berlin and Southern California and at Taksim German Hospital, and performs hip, knee and shoulder replacement and sports injury surgery.
Prof. Dr. Harzem Özger is an orthopedic oncology surgeon at Acibadem Maslak Hospital, with Acibadem since 2008. A 1979 graduate of Istanbul University, he trained in bone and soft-tissue tumor surgery at the University of Vienna and was professor at Istanbul Faculty of Medicine from 1996 to 2016. He treats bone and soft-tissue sarcomas with limb-salvage surgery, tumor prostheses and biological reconstruction, and has 71 PubMed-indexed publications.
Prof. Dr. Gültekin Sıtkı Çeçen is an orthopedic and spine surgeon at Medical Park Pendik. An Ege University medical graduate, he trained in orthopedics and traumatology at Dr. Lütfi Kırdar Kartal Training and Research Hospital in Istanbul and spent more than two decades there as specialist, associate professor (2015) and head of clinic, working on scoliosis, kyphosis and spinal deformities from 1998 to 2018. He also treats orthopedic trauma and performs joint replacement.
Prof. Dr. Hasan Hüseyin Ceylan is an orthopedic surgeon at Medical Park Bahçelievler and a faculty member of Istanbul Yeni Yüzyıl University's orthopedics department. A 2007 graduate of Cerrahpaşa Faculty of Medicine (English program), he trained at Bezmialem Vakıf University and was a TÜBİTAK-funded research fellow at Thomas Jefferson University and the Rothman Institute in the USA. He treats sports injuries, cartilage damage and fractures and performs joint replacement.
Prof. Dr. Engin Çetin is an orthopedic and spine surgeon at Medicana International Istanbul Hospital, which he joined in 2026. A 2001 graduate of Hacettepe University, he specialised in orthopedics at Gazi University in 2008 and completed spine fellowships in Ankara, Nottingham and Busan. Associate professor from 2020 and professor at Istanbul Aydın University in 2026, he treats spinal deformity and degenerative spine disease and performs joint replacement.
Dr. Emre Turgut is an orthopedic surgeon at BHT Clinic Istanbul Tema Hospital. He graduated from Istanbul University Istanbul Faculty of Medicine (Çapa) and has worked at Baltalimanı Bone Diseases, Kartal Lütfi Kırdar training hospitals and Büyükçekmece Mimar Sinan State Hospital. His practice covers knee and hip replacement, nonunion, cerebral palsy, leg deformity correction, limb lengthening, hallux valgus, shoulder arthroscopy, meniscus and ACL surgery.
Dr. Fatih Arslanoğlu is an orthopedic surgeon at BHT Clinic Istanbul Tema Hospital with a focus on hand and microsurgery. He graduated from Istanbul University Istanbul Faculty of Medicine and completed his residency at Baltalimanı Bone Diseases Training and Research Hospital, then worked at Diyarbakır Selahattin Eyyübi State Hospital, Medipol Mega University Hospital and Medistanbul Hospital. He also performs foot and hallux valgus surgery, knee and hip replacement, and arthroscopy.
Dr. Levent Arslan is an orthopedic surgeon at BHT Clinic Istanbul Tema Hospital. He graduated from Ankara University Faculty of Medicine in 2005 and completed his orthopedics residency at Bakırköy Dr. Sadi Konuk Training and Research Hospital in 2010. He then worked at Arnavutköy and Silvan state hospitals, Medicana Bahçelievler (2013-2020) and Başakşehir Çam and Sakura City Hospital (2020-2024). He performs knee and hip replacement and revision, arthroscopy and fracture care.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yunus Öç is an orthopedic surgeon at BHT Clinic Istanbul Tema Hospital. He graduated from Istanbul University Istanbul Faculty of Medicine and completed his orthopedics residency at Şişli Etfal Training and Research Hospital. He has worked at Batman Kozluk State Hospital, Çorlu Vega Hospital, Bağcılar Medilife Hospital and Beykent University Hospital. He treats bowleg and knock-knee, limb length problems, meniscus and ACL tears, hip fractures and bone tumors.
Prof. Dr. Levent Çelebi is an orthopedic and spine surgeon who has worked at Liv Hospital Ankara since 2016. He graduated from Ankara University Faculty of Medicine in 1996, trained at Ankara Numune Training and Research Hospital, and worked at Twin Cities Spine Centre, Minneapolis (USA) and Near East University. His interests cover spine surgery, orthopaedic trauma, joint surgery, paediatric orthopaedics and sports injuries.
Prof. Dr. Bahtiyar Demiralp is an orthopedic surgeon at Medical Park Antalya focusing on musculoskeletal tumor surgery, limb lengthening, external fixation, arthroplasty, foot surgery, trauma and deformity correction. A 1991 graduate of GATA Military Medical Academy, he trained in orthopedics there, served as assistant and associate professor at GATA, completed a 2008-2009 Mayo Clinic fellowship in orthopedic oncology, and later worked at Istanbul Medipol University.
Prof. Dr. Ahmet Ekin is an orthopedic, hand and upper-extremity surgeon at Medical Point Izmir Hospital, where he has worked since 2011. A Hacettepe graduate and orthopedic specialist since 1983, he trained in hand and wrist microsurgery at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in New York in 1990-1991. At Dokuz Eylül University he founded the Hand Surgery division in 1993 and became professor in 1997. He performs shoulder, elbow and wrist arthroscopy, hand microsurgery and joint replacement.
Prof. Dr. Nihat Tosun is an orthopedic surgeon at Medicana International Ankara Hospital. A 1984 graduate of Atatürk University, he specialised in orthopedics there in 1991 and became associate professor at Van Yüzüncü Yıl University in 1997. He was chief physician of two Ankara hospitals and served as Undersecretary of the Turkish Ministry of Health from 2008 to 2014. He heads orthopedics at Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University and treats trauma, deformity, cartilage and sports injuries.
Prof. Dr. Ali Biçimoğlu is an orthopedic surgeon at Liv Hospital Ankara whose work covers joint replacement, pediatric orthopedics and trauma. He trained in orthopedics at Ankara University Faculty of Medicine, became specialist and associate professor at Ankara Numune Hospital and professor at Karabük University, and worked at Ankara Bilkent City Hospital. He is widely published on developmental dysplasia of the hip, clubfoot and complex fractures (h-index 24).
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It may relieve chronic pain, improve walking or arm function, and restore part of daily activity. The degree of improvement varies with the joint and the individual case.
It usually suits people with severe pain and stiffness that have not responded to medication and physiotherapy, with confirmed damage on imaging. The surgeon also considers general health, age and lifestyle before deciding.
Blood tests, imaging and heart and anaesthesia assessments are usually done, and your doctor reviews your medication. Never stop any drug, especially blood thinners, without their instructions. Preparatory exercises and adapting your home may be advised.
After anaesthesia the joint is opened and its damaged surface removed. Artificial components of the right size are fixed in place, then stability and movement are checked and the wound is closed.
Physiotherapy starts early, with crutches, a walker or an arm sling depending on the joint. Light activities return gradually over weeks, while full strength and flexibility may take several months.
The final result is usually seen about six months to a year after surgery. An artificial joint often works for many years, depending on activity, weight and general health, and some patients may need revision surgery later.
They include infection, bleeding, blood clots in the veins, stiffness or instability of the joint, nerve or blood vessel injury, problems with the implant, and anaesthesia-related complications. Your surgeon explains the risks specific to your case.
Yes, a surgical scar remains over the joint and fades gradually. Its length and position depend on the joint and the surgical technique.
A stay of about 7 to 14 days is usually estimated for wound checks and the start of physiotherapy, and longer if there are risk factors. Air travel may increase the risk of clots after these operations, so the treating doctor decides the timing and preventive measures.
In some cases two joints can be replaced in separate sessions, either apart or close together, depending on the surgeon's assessment and the patient's health. A careful evaluation of general health is needed before this decision.
