In some adverse situations, the hip joint can become injured and develop characteristic damage. This can cause pain, difficulty walking or interference with daily activities. Medication, physiotherapy or the use of painkillers can be prescribed by a doctor. If the pain does not subside, your doctor may recommend total hip replacement surgery.
The hip joint is made up of the femur and the hollow in the pelvis. The top part of the thigh bone, called the ball, defines the other side, which is made up of bone and cartilage.
Total hip replacement is a surgical operation to replace a hip joint that has been severely damaged by arthritis, fracture or other causes with an unnatural joint. The prostheses used are made of titanium or cobalt chromium metal. These parts are inserted into the part where the joint is joined.
Who Can Have Hip Replacement Surgery?
Most people who undergo hip replacement surgery are between the ages of 50 and 80. This surgery is generally performed to treat hip arthritis. Arthritis is a disease that damages cartilage. Without cartilage, bones rub against each other, causing intense pain. We can list the types of arthritis as follows;
Joint rheumatism: It is a disease that causes joint inflammation. In some people, this condition can damage many parts of the body, such as the skin, eyes, lungs, heart and blood vessels.
Traumatic arthritis: Damage to the joints as a result of an injury. It manifests itself with severe pain, swelling and loss of function in the joints after trauma. Traumatic arthritis occurs after an injury to the joint.
Arthritis: It is a joint disease that is commonly observed in older adults.
In general, experts recommend using a walker or cane and a low-paced exercise plan to keep arthritis under control. These measures may sometimes be insufficient. Hip joint replacement is recommended as the best solution. If you are unable to sleep, sit comfortably or carry out everyday tasks due to pain, you may want to consider a hip joint replacement.
Hip replacements can also be used for other health problems. For example, they are used if a tumor is found in the hip joint. In urgent cases, if there is a fracture of the hip joint or thigh bone, a hip replacement can be used to repair the fracture. The basis of the new hip consists of four components;
- A socket made of metal material
- Liner construction to allow the ball to move freely in the socket
- A metal or ceramic ball to replace the thigh crest
- A rod of metal material into which the ball will be inserted (helps to flatten the thigh bone).
There are various joint replacement alternatives. Although many surgeons choose a joint prosthesis without the use of cement, a cemented prosthesis with bone cement can also be applied to the hip for faster and more successful adhesion. These two methods have similar success rates. However, they differ from each other in terms of healing. The most important thing for this surgical operation is to choose the right surgeon. In order to find the right surgeon, you may need to do research on the operations that the surgeon has performed before.
How is Hip Replacement Surgery Performed?
If you will not have a hip replacement procedure that requires urgency other than an accident that happens to people, the surgery is most likely planned weeks in advance. Your surgeon will wait for a period of time for your body to reach a favorable position.
This may involve losing some weight and stopping certain medications, including blood thinners. During this time, mobility becomes limited, long distances and the use of stairs should be minimized and the living space rearranged.
On the day of surgery, it may be recommended not to consume anything after midnight. Warnings made in this way should be heeded. When the day of the operation arrives, after checks have been carried out, the medical officer will take the person to be operated on to a room where they will be prepared for the operation. When it is time for the operation to start, the person will be taken to the operating room. At this stage, the person is either given general anesthesia or a different medication that allows them to sleep during the operation to prevent pain.
The surgeon who will perform the operation must know if there are problems with the heart and lungs that may pose a risk during general anesthesia. Depending on this, the type of anesthesia can be local or regional, and these individuals may also be given sedatives so that they do not panic during the operation. The surgical operation ends in 1-3 hours.
Recovery after hip replacement surgery
After the operation, the patient moves to the recovery area every few hours as the anesthesia wears off. During this time, your blood pressure, pulse rate, pain level, medication needs and waking after the anesthesia are checked. Some people can go home on the day of surgery, but most people stay in hospital for 1-2 nights.
Preventing blood clots: After surgery, the risk of blood clots in the legs increases. There are solutions to prevent this situation. After the surgery, mobility is provided with the help of crutches or a walker.
This is applied on the day of surgery or the next day. Both during and after the operation, the lower legs can wear compression stockings with elastic tissue or inflatable air sleeves. The pressure exerted by the inflated sleeves prevents blood from pooling in the leg veins and reduces the risk of clots forming.
Physiotherapy: The physiotherapist will help you to speed up your recovery by planning movements that can be practiced in the hospital and at home. Exercises to re-strengthen joints and muscles should be an important part of your day. The physiotherapist will teach you how to use equipment such as a walker, cane or crutches to help you walk.
Recovery at home: Before leaving the hospital, you and your companions will be given information about prosthetic hip care. Especially during the recovery period, you may want to spend most of your time with technological devices. But you should not bend over and lie down. If your toilet is low, it may also be useful to make small differences in the area where you live by buying a high toilet seat. You should also be careful when climbing up and down stairs.
6-12 weeks after surgery, your surgeon will want to check on you. The time required for you to get stronger day by day and for the healing time to be over is stated as 6 to 12 months.