Choosing whether to have a shoulder, knee or hip replacement is a big decision. Total joint replacements are major surgeries and full recovery can take several months. Yet undergoing surgery can have incredible benefits. Joint replacement surgery often provides significant pain relief and increased mobility for many people with arthritis. 

The key questions to ask yourself are: How much does it hurt, and how much does joint pain affect your life? These five signs are good indicators that you might want to talk to your doctor about joint replacement.   

• Your joint pain wakes you up at night or keeps you from falling asleep. 
• Your joint pain makes it hard to climb stairs, get up from a chair or get in and out of the car. 
• You’ve cut back on things you like to do – such as hiking, golfing, dancing, swimming or shopping – because of joint pain. 
• You have persistent joint pain that has lasted several months or more, and other treatments no longer help. 
• Imaging tests show that you have advanced arthritis or joint damage. 

If you checked “yes,” to all of these signs, set up an appointment to talk to your doctor about joint replacement surgery.