Principal Director & Unit Head, Orthopaedics, Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurgaon
Series overview · 9 articles
Recent Advances in Joint Replacement
April 13, 2025
A single joint replacement can restore a patient's ability to walk, work and sleep through the night without pain, and it does so more reliably than almost any other procedure in medicine. Dr. Subhash Jangid, Senior Director, Orthopaedics & Joint Reconstruction at Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurgaon, used his Jivo Masterclass to walk through what makes knee and hip replacement so successful, how robotic surgery is changing outcomes, and how these decisions are actually made for real patients. This guide is based on that masterclass and introduces a series covering the full topic.
Why joint replacement stands apart in modern medicine
Across the whole of medicine, from cardiac surgery to neurosurgery, Dr. Jangid describes joint replacement as one of the most consistently successful procedures performed today. Older data put implant survival at roughly 95 percent success and 15 to 20 years of use. With robotic surgery and computer navigation now standard at his centre, that survival window has moved to 25 to 30 years, comparable to the lifespan of a natural, undamaged joint. Case volumes are also rising by around 10 percent a year, driven by greater awareness of the procedure's success and by patients who simply want to keep walking, working and staying active rather than live with chronic pain.
What this series covers
This series works through who actually needs a knee or hip replacement and what symptoms point to it, how partial and total knee replacement are chosen for different patients, what robotic surgery changes about precision and planning, how hip implants are designed for durability, when surgery should be delayed or avoided altogether, how severe and bilateral deformities are corrected, what recovery and pain management look like afterward, and what international patients should know about having this surgery done in India.
This article is based on a Jivo Masterclass session conducted by Dr. Subhash Jangid, Senior Director, Orthopaedics & Joint Reconstruction, Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurgaon. The article has been summarised with the assistance of an AI tool from the original masterclass recording. Watch the full Masterclass recording
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This guide is based on a live Jivo Masterclass: Dr. Subhash Jangid taught doctors across Africa on April 13, 2025.
Watch the full recording, or read the guide above.
FROM THE LIVE Q&A
Moderator
Could the presentation be shared as a PDF in French as well as English, and was a translator available for the French-speaking doctors on the call?
Dr. Subhash Jangid
Yes to both. The English PDF was shared with the group, the French version had already been sent separately, and a dedicated French translator was present throughout the session to help the doctors from Congo follow along.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Could the presentation be shared as an English-language PDF?▼
Yes, the English PDF was shared again on request.
One attendee thanked Dr. Jangid for the presentation and asked about opportunities to train under him.▼
Doctors from Africa can apply for a one-year fellowship programme in India to learn joint replacement surgery. Interested doctors need to email the team and register with India's National Medical Council before joining for the year-long training.
Is there an age limit for hip or knee replacement surgery?▼
There is no fixed age limit at either end. Hip replacement is generally offered from skeletal maturity onward if the joint is badly damaged, and partial knee replacement is usually done from around age 40, occasionally as early as 30, though most patients present between 45 and 50. Modern implants can last more than 30 years, so age by itself is not the deciding factor.
Could an 80-year-old patient with a knee fracture still be considered a candidate for joint replacement surgery?▼
Yes. Age alone should never be the reason to deny treatment. What matters is whether the patient is physiologically fit and medically able to tolerate surgery, not their chronological age. Every patient deserves the chance to keep leading an active life, fracture or not.
Most post-operative painkillers are known to affect the liver. What pain medication is recommended after joint replacement that avoids this?▼
Opioids are used at a very low dose, delivered through a transdermal skin patch or a nasal spray rather than as tablets or injections, giving good pain control without sedation, headache or nausea. Alongside this, the only oral tablet used is paracetamol, which does not affect the stomach or the kidneys.
How much longer do modern joint replacement implants last compared to older ones?▼
Older implants were built around a 15 to 20 year lifespan. With robotic surgery and computer navigation, that has extended to 25 to 30 years, comparable to a natural, healthy joint.
Why are joint replacement surgery numbers rising every year?▼
Volumes are increasing by around 10 percent annually, driven by growing awareness that the procedure works reliably and by patients who want to preserve an active lifestyle rather than manage chronic joint pain indefinitely.
In This Series: Recent Advances in Joint Replacement
- 1.Recent Advances in Joint Replacement
- 2.Who Needs a Knee or Hip Replacement: Symptoms and Warning Signs
- 3.Partial or Total Knee Replacement: Matching the Procedure to the Patient
- 4.How Robotic Surgery Is Changing Joint Replacement
- 5.Hip Replacement Surgery: Implant Design, Materials and Durability
- 6.When Joint Replacement Surgery Should Be Delayed or Avoided
- 7.Correcting Severe and Bilateral Knee Deformities
- 8.Recovery, Pain Management and Rehabilitation After Joint Replacement
- 9.Joint Replacement Surgery in India: What International Patients Should Know