An Exciting New Project to Support People Awaiting Hip and Knee Replacement Surgery

Choose to Move: Replacement Ready aims to support people on surgical waitlists to stay active, maintain their health, and improve quality of life.

For people waiting for hip and knee replacement surgery, the waiting period can be challenging. Many experience increased pain, reduced mobility, and a decline in overall quality of life.

The Active Aging Society, in partnership with the Active Aging Research Team at UBC (AART) and clinical and community collaborators, is leading the implementation of Choose to Move: Replacement Ready, a new adaptation of the well-established Choose to Move program.

Choose to Move has supported more than 13,000 participants across British Columbia over the past decade. This new adaptation is designed specifically for individuals awaiting hip and knee replacement surgery, offering tailored support to help them stay active in ways that are safe, realistic, and meaningful.

“Choose to Move has always been grounded in strong partnerships,” says Joanie Sims-Gould, Executive Director of the Active Aging Society and Clinical Associate Professor at UBC. “With Replacement Ready, we’re building on that foundation to support people through a particularly difficult period—while they wait for surgery—so they can maintain their health and continue doing the things that matter to them.”

More than 14,000 people in British Columbia are currently on waitlists for hip or knee replacement surgery. While physical activity is known to improve outcomes, many people face barriers to staying active during this time, including pain, uncertainty, and limited access to appropriate supports.

Choose to Move: Replacement Ready is designed to address these challenges by providing:

• • Personalized support to help participants move at their own pace
  • Opportunities for connection and encouragement
  • Practical strategies to stay active despite changing abilities

Developed in collaboration with clinicians, researchers, and health system partners, including the Specialist Services Committee of Doctors of BC, the program builds on strong evidence and early feasibility testing, which has shown promising results.

This new project, supported by a CIHR Project Grant, will be implemented and evaluated over the next five years.

Project Goals

Choose to Move: Replacement Ready will:

1. Assess how the program can be effectively delivered to people on surgical waitlists

2. Evaluate its impact on participants’ health and well-being during the waiting period

Ultimately, the goal is to support people to maintain or improve their health while they wait, enhancing quality of life and, in some cases, potentially delaying or reducing the need for surgery.