Click here to view Dr. Szalapski’s clinic locations.

Cortisone injections are a great way to relieve pain in an arthritic knee.  We will assess you in the clinic and determine if this is appropriate during your office visit.

Total Knee replacement, Total Hip replacement (including Anterior Approach Total Hip Replacement), Reverse Total Shoulder Replacement, Total Shoulder Replacement, Rotator cuff Repair, and fracture care.

The EXCEL program is a program in which the patient has surgery at an ambulatory surgery facility (instead of the hospital).  Typical procedures are total hip and total knee replacement.  Patients then recover in a private suite with personalized 24 hour nursing care.  The goal of the program is to provide excellent patient centered care while reducing cost.  We can review your personal situation, including medical history, at the time of your visit to see if you qualify.

The most common total hip arthroplasty approach that Dr. Szalapski’s team uses is the anterior approach.  This approach may vary depending on the patient needs.

Click here to view Dr. Szalapski’s patient education information for total hip arthroplasty.

Click here to view Dr. Szalapski’s patient education information for total knee arthroplasty.

On average, it takes about 6 weeks to get back to day to day life and 3 months to forget you had surgery, but every individual is different.

Typically total knee replacement and total hip patients are in the hospital overnight depending on their progress.

It is normal for you to notice bruising down the leg, into the buttock, around the ankle and even into the foot. The bruising is related to blood from the surgery that collects in dependent areas with respect to gravity.

If you have had shoulder surgery, you can have bruising into the chest wall and down by the wrist or elbow.

Yes, typically people need narcotic pain medication after joint replacement surgery, but the majority have stopped using them around 2-3 weeks.

Most people notice a temporary increase in swelling in their leg because at home they are up moving around more.   You should alert your doctor if the swelling is localized to just the calf.

Most knee replacements are warm, swollen and red for at least 10 days after surgery.  This process typically increases to about day 10 and then decreases from there.  If you are still unsure, feel free to leave a message with our care team.

Be sure to ask your surgeon regarding this, as this can vary depending on the technique used.

Yes, in fact, patients are encouraged to get up and walk with the hospital staff as soon as they are able.

Yes, we recommend antibiotics prior to any dental work for lifetime after you have a total joint replacement.  This is to prevent any infection into the total joint as a result of dental work.

The typical recovery is about 6 weeks to begin to use the muscles in the arm with active movement, and 3 months before lifting anything beyond a cup of coffee.  If a person works in a job with heavy labor, such as construction, it may be as long as 5-6 months before returning to normal use of that extremity.