If a replaced joint becomes hot, swollen and painful, or you develop a fever, seek medical care the same day. Infection around an implant is treated far more successfully when caught early. The same applies to sudden calf pain and swelling after surgery, which may indicate a clot.
Knee and hip replacement, bilateral surgery, robotic-assisted procedures and revision of implants that have failed — at NABH and JCI accredited hospitals across Delhi NCR, at roughly a fifth to a third of European or American prices.
This is the most predictable work we arrange. The operations are standardised, recovery is measurable, and the outcome depends on three things you can actually check before you travel: the surgeon's annual volume, the implant chosen, and the physiotherapy that follows.
Free. No obligation. A written opinion within 48 hours.
Each has its own page explaining what causes it, what the alternatives to surgery are, and when replacement becomes the right answer.
Stays below assume an uncomplicated course. The time in India figure includes the physiotherapy you need before flying — do not plan a shorter trip.
The worn surfaces of the knee are removed and replaced with metal and polyethylene components. It is the most predictable operation in orthopaedics — pain relief is reliable, the technique is highly standardised, and the cost difference against Europe or the Gulf is at its widest here.
Both knees replaced in a single admission. For a patient with severe arthritis in both knees it means one anaesthetic, one recovery period and one trip, and it usually costs less than two separate journeys. It is not right for everyone — it places greater demand on the heart and lungs, and rehabilitation is harder in the first fortnight.
The femoral head and the socket are replaced. Recovery is generally quicker than after knee replacement and patients are often walking with support the same day. Bearing surface and fixation method are chosen according to your age and bone quality.
A robotic arm assists the surgeon in preparing the bone to a pre-planned position. It improves the precision of component placement. Whether that translates into a better result for an individual patient over decades is still debated, and it adds meaningfully to the cost — so we will tell you honestly when we think it is worth paying for and when it is not.
Replacing an implant that has loosened, worn out, become infected or been badly positioned. It is substantially more complex than a first-time replacement, often requires specialised implants and bone graft, and demands a surgeon who does revisions regularly. Where infection is involved it may need two separate operations months apart.
Anatomic or reverse shoulder replacement for arthritis and for irreparable cuff damage, and arthroscopic repair of rotator cuff tears. Reverse replacement in particular has transformed treatment for patients whose cuff cannot be repaired.
Keyhole reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament, meniscal repair, and cartilage procedures. Day-case or overnight surgery with a recovery driven by rehabilitation rather than by the operation itself — which is why the physiotherapy plan matters more than the surgical technique.
Implant choice can change the total price of a knee replacement substantially, and it is where patients are most often persuaded to spend money that will not benefit them.
Ask for the manufacturer and model name, and ask what its published survival rate is at ten years. Any surgeon should be able to answer both immediately.
that the implant is from an established manufacturer with long-term published survival data, that it is the right size and design for your anatomy, and that your surgeon uses it regularly. A surgeon who has implanted the same well-proven knee two thousand times will get a better result from it than from an unfamiliar premium system.
the newest bearing material, a gender-specific design, or a "high flexion" knee. These are marketed heavily to international patients. The published long-term evidence that they outperform standard well-established designs is, for most patients, thin.
younger and more active patients, where the implant must survive decades rather than years; unusual anatomy or severe deformity; and revision surgery, which needs specialised components.
A knee replacement is not finished when the wound closes. The range of movement you achieve in the first six weeks is broadly the range you keep, and stiffness that sets in early is difficult to recover afterwards.
This is the single most common reason international patients end up disappointed with a technically good operation. They fly home after ten days, physiotherapy at home is inconsistent or unavailable, the knee stiffens, and by the time anyone notices it is too late to fix easily.
So our schedule builds in two to three weeks of daily supervised physiotherapy in Delhi before you travel, and we send you home with a written programme your local physiotherapist can follow, along with the movement targets you should be hitting at six weeks and three months. If you cannot commit to that time, tell us at the outset — a shorter trip is worse value, not better, because it risks the whole result.
A surgeon performing three hundred knee replacements a year is not the same as one performing thirty across several joints. In arthroplasty the relationship between volume and outcome is well established.
Even for a first-time replacement, we prefer a surgeon who also handles revisions. It means they see what fails and why, and they are better equipped if something unexpected happens during your operation.
Laminar flow theatres, strict antibiotic protocols and a dedicated arthroplasty team. Infection is the complication that turns a good replacement into years of trouble, and prevention is systemic rather than individual.
Ask any surgeon two questions: how many of this operation they performed last year, and what their infection rate is. Both should be answered without hesitation.
Joint replacement is generally safe, but it carries real risks — infection, clots in the leg or lung, nerve or vessel injury, stiffness, and implant loosening over time. Around one patient in twenty remains dissatisfied with their knee replacement even when everything went technically well, and any surgeon who does not mention that is overselling.
Bacteria travel to a new implant. Dental problems in particular should be treated before surgery, not after.
A high HbA1c substantially raises the risk of wound infection. Getting it controlled before travel is not a delay — it is what makes the surgery worth having.
We will say so plainly and suggest a target, because the risks of infection and early failure rise steeply.
Particularly relevant for bilateral surgery, which places significant demand on both. This is one area where Dr. Varughese's assessment genuinely matters.
Weight loss, physiotherapy, and injections help many patients enough to defer surgery for years. If none has been tried, we will suggest starting there.
A knee replacement patient, from first message to walking out of the airport at home.
Three to four weeks for a single knee, four to five for both. That covers pre-operative assessment, three to five days in hospital, and — most importantly — two to three weeks of supervised physiotherapy before you are fit to fly. The physiotherapy is not padding. Going home too early is the commonest reason a technically good replacement gives a disappointing result.
It depends on your heart, lungs and general fitness rather than on your knees. Doing both in one admission means one anaesthetic, one recovery and one trip, and usually costs less than two journeys. But it demands more of you physically and the first fortnight of rehabilitation is harder. For a fit patient with severe arthritis in both knees it is often the better choice; for a frailer one it is not.
Sometimes. It improves the precision of component placement, which is measurable. Whether that produces a better knee in twenty years is not yet settled, and it adds meaningfully to the price. For a straightforward replacement in an average knee, a good surgeon using conventional instruments gets an excellent result. Where the anatomy is unusual or deformity is severe, the case is stronger. We will tell you which applies to you.
Modern knee and hip replacements commonly last fifteen to twenty years or more, and longevity depends on your age, weight, activity and the quality of the surgery. A patient of seventy is unlikely to need a revision. A patient of fifty-five very possibly will, which is why the choice of implant and bearing surface matters more in younger patients.
Yes, and you should. We send you home with the exact implant details — manufacturer, model, size and batch numbers — along with your operation notes and X-rays, so any doctor anywhere can identify what you have. Periodic X-ray follow-up can be done locally, and we remain available to your doctor.
Your surgeon here reviews your case remotely and will speak to your local doctor directly. Where a problem needs re-operation, we will tell you honestly whether it can be managed locally or whether returning is necessary. Infection or early loosening usually needs the surgeon who did the original operation, and this is one reason we choose surgeons who take that responsibility seriously.
It helps considerably, and for some patients it is a requirement rather than advice. Excess weight increases the risk of infection, wound problems and early implant loosening, and it makes rehabilitation harder. If your BMI is high we will say so plainly and suggest a target before travel rather than after arrival.
Related pages: Joint replacement cost in India · Knee osteoarthritis · Failed joint replacement · All treatments · Medical visa guides
Send whatever you already have — reports, scans, photographs. You will get a written opinion with costs within 48 hours.
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