GLP-1 Medications Are Entering the Orthopedic Operating Room — and the Specialty Is Not Yet Ready

Section analysis by Slava Kurdov, CPC, Billing Department, WCH  

Editorial note: This article reflects current peer-reviewed literature, published orthopedic society guidance, and emerging clinical discussion as of mid-2026. GLP-1-specific perioperative orthopedic protocols are not yet standardized across the specialty — recommendations cited reflect emerging consensus and individual institutional practice. This article is for informational and educational purposes and does not constitute clinical, legal, or compliance advice. Surgeons should consult current anesthesia, endocrinology, and orthopedic society guidance before modifying perioperative protocols.

The GLP-1 receptor agonist story entered orthopedic surgery the way most consequential clinical developments do — not through a landmark trial or a society guideline, but through an accumulation of case-level observations that reached critical mass in the surgical community simultaneously. By mid-2026, orthopedic surgeons across practice settings are encountering GLP-1-treated patients at a rate that has moved from occasional to routine, and the clinical questions these patients raise — about perioperative aspiration risk, about muscle mass and rehabilitation outcomes, about bone metabolism and implant stability, about the appropriate timing of medication holds before elective joint replacement — do not yet have fully established answers. What they have is an increasingly urgent need for practice-level protocol development that most orthopedic groups have not yet completed.