What changes when a joint replacement surgeon experiences knee replacement from the other side of the operating table?
Dr. Farzin Kabaei is a Los Angeles orthopedic surgeon specializing in hip and knee replacement, complex reconstruction, and orthopedic trauma. But his perspective on joint replacement is also deeply personal. After an ACL injury as a teenager, progressive arthritis, a high tibial osteotomy, multiple surgeries, and years of worsening knee pain, he ultimately underwent a knee replacement himself.
In this episode, we discuss how that experience changed the way he counsels patients about pain, expectations, timing, and recovery. We explore how to know when arthritis is truly bad enough for surgery, why an X-ray alone shouldn't determine whether you need a joint replacement, and why expectations for hip and knee replacement can be very different.
Dr. Kabaei also shares his approach to robotic knee replacement, anterior hip replacement and the bikini incision, injections including cortisone, hyaluronic acid and PRP, and the role of nutrition, exercise, breathwork, and preparation in recovery.
Perhaps most importantly, we hear what a knee replacement actually feels like from someone who both performs the operation and lives with one every day.
🎙️ The Joint Replacement Podcast
Educational content only. This podcast does not constitute individualized medical advice.
