An Overview of Hip Replacement
Total hip replacement, also called total hip arthroplasty, is a surgery that is performed over 100,00 times each year.
A hip replacement is performed to replace an arthritic hip with an artificial hip joint. Hip
arthritis is the result of gradual wear and tear on your hip joint from various activities. It is a progressive disease that eventually causes pain and disability.
The hip is a ball-and-socket joint formed by the pelvis and the femur, or thighbone. The ball is at the top end of the thighbone, and the socket is a cup-shaped area on the outside of the pelvis.
Both surfaces of contact are lined with smooth cartilage that keeps the hard bones from rubbing directly on one another. This allows for smooth, low-friction motion.
The hip joint is held together by several structures. The first is the joint capsule that surrounds the joint. This capsule is tissue that attaches to each side of the joint and helps keep lubricating fluid inside the joint. There are also strong ligaments, or bands of fibers, outside the joint that provide stability and that help prevent dislocation of the hip. Lastly, numerous muscles provide a wide range of motion and also help keep the hip stable.
The hip can be subjected to force that is three to nine times your body weight, depending on the activity. The parts of the hip that help withstand this force include cartilage at the ends of the bones and the lubricating fluid in the joint capsule.
Reasons for Hip Replacement
Arthritis is the most common reason that the hip joint wears out. This condition results from chronic inflammation inside the joint, which wears out the protective cartilage and weakens the joint capsule and ligaments. As the protective cartilage is worn away, bone begins to rub on bone, which causes pain.
Some people have infections, injuries, or diseases, such as
rheumatoid arthritis or lupus, that may speed up this wearing-out process. Other patients can be born with or develop an altered hip at an early age. This causes the normal wear-and-tear process to accelerate faster because the mechanics of the hip are changed.
Regardless of the cause, the end result is a painful hip that limits motion and the ability to perform daily activities.
Alternatives to Hip Replacement
Before suggesting
hip replacement surgery, your doctor will usually first recommend non-surgical treatment methods for decreasing the symptoms of a worn-out joint. These can include:
- Medication
- Activity changes
- Steroid injections into the hip
- Physical therapy.
After the hip replacement surgery, you will be moved to a recovery room. In this room, you will be with other post-operative patients, and healthcare providers will be available to assist you with any problems or concerns. You will be kept here until your healthcare providers feel that you are recovering well; usually this is within one to two hours.
What to Expect After Hip Replacement
Following your hip replacement and physical therapy, you can expect that your hip will function much better. Most patients with stiff hips before hip replacement have improved motion afterwards.
The majority of patients who have a total hip replacement experience significant relief from pain. These patients usually have successful results even after 10 years.
Possible Complications With Hip Replacement
Total hip replacement has been performed safely for over 25 years, and many surgical advances have improved outcomes. However, as with any surgery, there are risks.
Minor complications are temporary in most cases, and are often easily treated by your healthcare provider.
- Infection
- Numbness around the incision
- Bleeding
- Urinary tract infection
- Abnormal or painful scar formation
- Allergic skin reaction to tape, dressing, or latex
- Nausea
- Vomiting.
There are also several major
hip replacement complications that can occur. These are uncommon; however, your overall health plays a role in your likelihood of developing complications and how well you recover. For example, patients with severe heart, lung, or kidney disease or
diabetes, may have a higher chance of developing complications than would healthier patients.
A Summary of Hip Replacement
Hip
arthritis is the result of long-term wear and tear on your hip joint. It is a progressive disease that often causes pain and disability.
When non-surgical treatments fail to relieve your hip pain, a total hip replacement is often recommended. Hip replacements are commonly done to relieve significant pain and increase your ability to perform the normal activities of daily living. Total hip replacement is one of the most common and successful surgical hip replacement surgeries offered in orthopedics. The majority of patients gain significant, if not total, improvement of their symptoms as a result of the surgery.
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