How long will my incision be?
How long will my incision be?
As long as it needs to be for your surgeon to safely and accurately perform your surgery. Using less invasive techniques and instruments, the incision is usually 3-4 inches in length. However, if this length of the incision does not allow adequate visualization to do the surgery appropriately, the incision is lengthened. More complicated hip and knee replacements with significant joint deformity, re-do or revision joint replacements require larger incisions. The length of the incision for a traditional approach to hip or knee replacement is 8-12 inches.