What is hip replacement surgery?
Total hip arthroplasty, also known as hip replacement surgery, replaces hip joints which have become damaged or worn out. A prosthesis (artificial joint) will be used as a replacement. These are either made of plastic, metal or ceramic depending on your individual requirements and medical history.
Hip replacement surgery is commonly undertaken to address severe arthritis pain and damaged associated with this condition; or following a hip fracture, the likes of which can be sustained as a result of sporting activities.
Forms of arthritis which may affect the hip joint include rheumatoid arthritis, which involves the inflammation of the joint’s synovial lining; traumatic arthritis, which is the result of an injury; and osteoarthritis, the degenerative joint disease.
What can I expect from the procedure?
After your doctor has answered any questions you may have pertaining to the procedure, and you have discussed your method of anaesthesia with your anaesthetist, you will enter the operating room having fasted for a minimum of eight hours.
The procedure involves your doctor making incisions in the hip area, before removing the hip joint’s damaged parts and installing the prosthesis into the hip joint’s socket. Artificial joint prostheses can be both cemented and cementless – cemented prostheses are attached to the bone using surgical cement, whereas cementless prostheses are designed to attach to the bone via a porous biological ingrowth.
The procedure typically lasts one hour. You will be mobilised on the day of the surgery and will likely be monitored in hospital for two to three days before returning home to rest. Mr Mann will ensure to advise on the best ways to ensure a fast recovery from your treatment.
Why might I need hip replacement surgery?
Hip replacement surgery is commonly the chosen course of action when addressing osteoarthritis and other forms of arthritis (there are over a hundred different kinds). It is usually decided upon after other forms of treatment – including glucosamine, supportive devices for walking, anti-inflammatory medications, pain medications and physical therapy – have failed to control arthritis pain effectively.
What is the recovery time?
While hip replacement patients are recognised as recovering faster than knee replacement patients, it can still take up to six months to make a full recovery. There is, however, a wide range in the recovery time experienced by different patients, with some patients making a recovery in as little as a month.
Walking aids are used in the early recovery stages, while physical therapy of various intensity levels plays a big part throughout. Mr Mann will advise and support, and answer any questions you may have about the recovery process.
If you want to know more about hip replacement surgery or have any questions, feel free to fill out the contact form below and we’ll get back to you.
Postoperative period and recovery
Remember that below is a guide to recovery and that everyone heals at different rates and some people do take longer. Use this information to help you understand your condition, possible treatment and recovery. The timeframes given below are a minimum, it is important that you appreciate this when considering surgery as your healing and recovery may take longer.
After your operation, a routine enhanced programme of recovery will commence. The main parallel work streams of this programme are as follows:
Associated conditions
Hip osteoarthritis
The hip joint is a ball and socket joint and has a protective cartilage cushion which helps to evenly distribute forces throughout the hip joint. By far the commonest type of arthritis to affect the hip is osteoarthritis which is a degenerative condition which often results from progressive wear of the hip.