Doctor Thomas P. Sculco, Surgeon-in-Chief at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, notes how pain after hip replacement surgery is generally very weak, and negligent compared to the pain they previously felt from their arthritis.

Dr. Sculco As a rule with hip replacement surgery, most of pain is gone, or very minimal, within 2 or 3 days Pain is a question that always comes up when you discuss surgery with a patient. And the good news about hip replacement surgery of all the arthroplasties (joint replacements) that we do, I think hip replacement is the least painful. And the reason for that is that if you have hip arthritis, it is very disabling, and very pain. People can walk, can't go up stairs, you have trouble sleeping at night. And immediately in the recovery room that pain is gone. We mobilize our patients very quick, we mobilize our patients in the next day and sometimes the same day. I also think that facilitates recovery but also I think in fact reduces pain. The swelling is less as they move about. Janet Cahill: I would say the hardest thing after surgery is getting out of bed because you do need to flex out your hip which is very painful. Most patients do extremely well in terms of walking and taking weight on their operated leg and most of them are surprised at how well they do. Dr. Sculco As a rule with hip replacement surgery, most of pain is gone, or very minimal, quickly, within 2 or 3 days.