Knee & Hip Replacement
When arthritis has worn through the cartilage, joint replacement is the operation that gives most people their mobility back. Shanghai's leading orthopedic departments perform it routinely, and you can usually be scheduled without a long waiting list.
Who it is for
Adults with advanced arthritis or joint damage in the knee or hip, whose pain no longer responds to medication, injections or physiotherapy.
How it is done
The damaged joint surfaces are replaced with metal and medical-grade plastic implants. Most patients stand, with help, within a day or two of surgery and begin rehabilitation straight away.
Your time in Shanghai
Includes pre-operative tests, surgery, early rehabilitation, and enough recovery before a long-haul flight. Your specialist confirms the exact timeline in the evaluation.
What this treatment typically costs.
United States vs China
US: knee replacement, inpatient · China: knee replacement at a tertiary hospital
For reference only. Figures come from the published sources cited and vary with the hospital, the implant or lens chosen, and your condition. China figures are public-hospital averages; fees in hospital international departments are higher. The two sides are measured differently and show direction, not an exact like-for-like price. Your actual cost is determined by the specialist after reviewing your case.
Sources: US: MDsave's estimated national average price for inpatient knee replacement, before insurance; pre-arranged self-pay packages on the same site average $23,031 (MDsave, November 2026); China: mean total hospital stay cost for knee replacement at a tertiary hospital, 2022–2023 (RMB 34,466) (peer-reviewed study, PMC11754277).
The hospitals we work with for this treatment.
Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine
- Orthopaedics is a National Clinical Key Specialty, and the hospital hosts the Shanghai Clinical Medical Center for Joint Surgery — SJTU School of Medicine
- Among the first hospitals in China to perform joint replacement — SJTU School of Medicine
- English-language consultations and direct billing with international insurers — Shanghai Municipal Government
Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine
- Orthopaedics is a National Clinical Key Specialty, with a dedicated joint surgery subspecialty — Ruijin Hospital
- International Medical Department with English-language service; one of Shanghai's 13 designated international medical tourism pilot hospitals — Shanghai Municipal Government
How we take you from evaluation to follow-up.
Specialist evaluation
From $350. A senior specialist reviews your medical records and tells you how long you would need to stay in China, when surgery could take place, and an estimate of the cost.
A plan built around you
We turn the specialist's advice into a written plan: which hospital, which doctor, which dates, and what to bring.
Travel planning
We help you plan the whole trip, from your arrival in Shanghai to the day you fly home.
Every appointment, accompanied
A professional medical interpreter is beside you at every important medical conversation, and we provide English translations of your medical records.
Surgery day
We are with you from admission to discharge on the day of your operation, and stay in contact with the ward throughout your recovery.
Specialist follow-up at home
After you return home, we arrange professional follow-up with your specialist, so your recovery stays in the hands of the team that treated you.
Start with a specialist evaluation, from $350.
Send your records. The specialist tells you how long you would stay in Shanghai, when surgery could take place, and what it is likely to cost. Then you decide.